ITE Data Report 2019

Foreword

It is my pleasure to introduce the seventh edition of AITSL’s Initial Teacher Education: Data Report. In June 2018, Education Council endorsed a series of recommendations to continue to strengthen the initial teacher education reform agenda. These recommendations, which were incorporated into the Accreditation of initial teacher education programs in Australia: Standards and Procedures in September 2018, will require all jurisdictions to publish a summary of each ITE accreditation decision and further strengthen three key areas in the ITE accreditation system: quality assurance, teaching performance assessments (TPAs) and evidence of impact.

A Standard-Setting Advisory Group comprising experts in education measurement and psychometrics has also been established to provide advice on quality assurance processes relating to standards-based assessment. Processes are underway among the jurisdictions to confirm sound national agreement on what it means to meet the Accreditation Program Standards. Over half of Australian ITE providers are already using TPAs endorsed by the expert Advisory Group to ensure that their graduates are classroom ready.

The data gathered through the Australian Teacher Workforce Data (ATWD) collection project will be used in tandem with the data being gathered by ITE providers to build a national picture of progress and a strong evidence base on what works best in ITE in Australia.

As always, AITSL has worked closely with jurisdictional teacher regulatory authorities and ITE providers to progress its recommendations and will continue to collaborate on this work to ensure that programs are preparing classroom-ready teachers, equipped with all the skills they need to make a positive impact on student learning.

As of June 2019, AITSL has also been charged with working alongside state and territory governments and the Australian Government to develop a National Teacher Workforce Strategy. This strategy will focus partly on ITE, including understanding the supply of teachers, as well as looking at the future of the teaching workforce.

The quality of the Initial Teacher Education: Data Report series has improved each year since its inception in 2013, and this year’s edition is no different. Notable additions to the report include longitudinal employment outcomes, employer satisfaction with ITE graduates, and additional measures of ITE student and graduate satisfaction.

As with last year’s report, a digital version of the report and an accessible spreadsheet with all data from the tables and charts in this report can be found on the home page for AITSL’s Initial Teacher Education: Data Report 2019.

The AITSL Board is excited to support the release of Initial Teacher Education: Data Report 2019 so that it can help inform continued discussions about ITE in Australia.

At a glance

Executive Summary

Entry into initial teacher education

Commencing student numbers and characteristics

1. In 2017, 31,532 students commenced an ITE program, a 5% increase on the previous year.
2. In 2017, 72% (n = 22,651) of commencing ITE students were female, 65% (n = 20,411) were aged 24 or under, 54% (n = 16,234) were from medium socio-economic status backgrounds, 76% (n = 22,836) were from metropolitan locations, and 2% (n = 657) were Indigenous.

Commencing student basis of admission and ATAR

3. Between 2016 and 2017, there was a 1 percentage point increase in the proportion of commencing undergraduate ITE students who were admitted on the basis of their secondary education and had no submitted ATAR. Over the past decade, there has been a 2 percentage point increase, from 30% (n = 2,103) in 2008 to 32% (n = 2,534) in 2017.
4. Between 2016 and 2017, there was a 4 percentage point decrease in the proportion of students entering ITE through a secondary pathway with an ATAR of 70 or lower, from 40% (n = 2,014) down to 36% (n = 1,961). However, between 2008 and 2017, there was an increase in the proportion of ITE students entering with an ATAR of 70 or lower, from 31% (n = 1,532) to 36% (n = 1,961). This trend has been observed across all higher education programs: in 2008, 21% (n = 13,955) of entrants had an ATAR of 70 or lower, versus 26% (n = 22,874) in 2017.

Commencing student study characteristics

5. In 2017, 70% (n = 21,924) of ITE students commenced an undergraduate qualification and 30% (n = 9,608) commenced a postgraduate qualification. Little change has been observed since 2015 in the proportion of postgraduate ITE commencements. However, over the past decade there has been an increase in the proportion of postgraduate commencements, from 27% (n = 6,806) in 2008.
6. Over the past decade, the proportion of master’s commencements increased from 8% (n = 1,954) of total commencements in 2008 to 21% (n = 6,517) in 2017.
7. The proportion of ITE students commencing through an internal (i.e. on campus) mode of attendance has declined from 75% (n = 18,722) of all commencing students in 2008 to 60% (n = 18,929) in 2017. During this time, the proportion of ITE students commencing through an external (i.e. online) mode of attendance has increased from 15% (n = 3,818) in 2007 to 25% (n = 7,877) in 2017.

Initial teacher education programs and providers

8. In 2019, 325 accredited programs were offered by 48 providers at 92 different locations across Australia. This represents a decrease from 425 accredited programs in 2013.

Progress through initial teacher education

First-to-second-year retention

9. The 2016 to 2017 first-to-second-year retention rate (retention from year 1 to year 2 in the same program type) in ITE was 77% (n = 15,748) for undergraduates.
10. The 2016 to 2017 undergraduate ITE first-to-second-year retention rate was 3 percentage points lower than the mean retention rate of nine undergraduate higher education program types selected for comparison.

Success rate – rate at which students successfully completed a unit of study

11. ITE students were slightly more likely than all higher education students to successfully complete a unit of study in 2017. The success rate in ITE was 90%, compared to 88% across all higher education programs.
12. Postgraduate ITE students had a higher success rate (94%) than undergraduate ITE students (89%) in 2017.

Completion of initial teacher education

Completing student numbers and characteristics

13. In 2017, 18,397 students completed an ITE program, a 5% increase on 2016..
14. In 2017, 75% (n = 13,839) of completing ITE students were female, 74% (n = 13,652) were aged 20–29, 54% (n = 9,535) were from medium socio-economic status backgrounds, 77% (n = 13,483) were from metropolitan locations, and 2% (n = 266) were Indigenous.

Completing student study characteristics

15. In 2017, 61% (n = 11,262) of ITE students completed an undergraduate qualification and 39% (n = 7,135) completed a postgraduate qualification. The proportion of postgraduate ITE completions was 1 percentage point higher than in 2016 (38%, n = 6,724). 16.
16. The number of students completing secondary education qualifications is similar to the number completing primary education qualifications. In 2017, 6,233 students completed a primary qualification and 6,093 completed a secondary qualification (34% and 33% of all ITE completions, respectively). The remaining completions were in early childhood (13%, n = 2,304) and combined primary/secondary/ early childhood or unspecified ITE qualifications (21%, n = 3,780).

Six-year completion rates – proportion of students in a cohort who completed their degree within six years

17. The six-year completion rate for ITE students who commenced in 2012 was 51% (n = 10,848) for undergraduates and 78% (n = 6,200) for postgraduates. The undergraduate rate was 2 percentage points lower than the average for higher education programs, and the postgraduate rate was 10 percentage points higher than average. That is, postgraduate ITE students were more likely to complete their program than students from other higher education programs and undergraduate ITE students were somewhat less likely.
18. Between the 2007 and 2012 commencing cohorts, the six-year completion rate declined by 10 percentage points for ITE undergraduates and 3 percentage points for ITE postgraduates. This decline is steeper for ITE than for other higher education programs.
19. Among the 2012 commencing cohort, the following groups of ITE students had the highest six-year completion rates.
    • Undergraduates who:
      • commenced through a secondary education pathway with an ATAR of 91 or higher (69%, n = 340)
      • commenced through a secondary education pathway (58%, n = 5,147)
      • studied full-time (57%, n = 10,050)
      • studied via an internal (i.e. on campus) mode of attendance (57%, n = 8,653).
    • Postgraduates who:
      • studied via a mixed (i.e. on campus and online) mode of attendance (87%, n = 630)
      • were aged 24 or under when commencing (86%, n = 3,090)
      • studied full-time (84%, n = 5,799)
      • studied via an internal (i.e. on campus) mode of attendance (82%, n = 4,833)
      • resided in Queensland (81%, n = 749) or ACT (78%, n = 114).
20. Among the 2012 commencing cohort, the following groups of ITE students had the lowest six-year completion rates.
    • Undergraduates who:
      • resided in Tasmania (30%, n = 125)
      • studied externally (i.e. online) (31%, n = 1,449).
    • Postgraduates who:
    • had an Indigenous background (60%, n = 34)
    • resided in Tasmania (64%, n = 173).

Current student and recent graduate satisfaction

21. In 2017, current undergraduate ITE students had a high degree (78%) of satisfaction with the quality of their higher education experience, similar to the level of satisfaction of current undergraduate students from all higher education programs (79%).
22. In 2017, 21% of current undergraduate students seriously considered an early departure. This figure was 1% higher than for current undergraduates from all higher education programs (20%).
23. In 2017, among those current undergraduate ITE students with early-departure intentions, the most common reasons for wanting to leave related to ‘health/stress’ (50%), ‘study/life balance’ (36%) ‘workload difficulties’ (32%), and the ‘need to do paid work’ (32%).
24. In 2017, recent ITE graduates from both undergraduate and postgraduate programs had high overall levels of satisfaction with their course (77% and 75%, respectively).

Graduate perceptions of their course

25. In 2017, a higher proportion of ITE graduates reported that their qualification prepared them for employment (86% of undergraduates and 81% of postgraduates) than of graduates from all higher education programs (69% and 75%, respectively).

Early career teaching

Employment outcomes of recent graduates

26. In 2017, 57% of ITE graduates from undergraduate programs were working full-time in schools. The proportion of recent ITE graduates from postgraduate programs working full-time in schools was lower, at 52%.
27. In 2017, recent ITE graduates from undergraduate programs had a 94% overall employment rate and an 83% full-time employment rate. This was significantly higher than the overall (87%) and full-time (72%) employment rates for recent graduates from all undergraduate programs.
28. In 2017, recent ITE graduates from postgraduate programs had a 92% overall employment rate and a 76% full-time employment rate. This was similar to the overall employment rate (92%) but significantly lower than the full-time employment rate (85%) for recent graduates from all postgraduate programs.
29. In 2017, three years after graduation, the ITE undergraduate full-time employment rate was 91%, versus 89% for all higher education undergraduates. For postgraduates, the equivalent full-time employment rate was 88%, versus 92% for postgraduates from all higher education programs.
30. In 2017, the full-time employment rate was significantly higher three years post-graduation than within one year of graduation for both undergraduates (91% versus 69%) and postgraduates (88% versus 63%).

Employer perceptions of graduate readiness for employment

31. In 2017, 87% of employers of recent ITE graduates from undergraduate programs were satisfied with the graduate’s performance, compared to 84% of employers of recent graduates from all higher education undergraduate programs.
32. In 2017, 86% of employers of recent ITE graduates from postgraduate programs were satisfied with the graduate’s performance, compared to 82% of employers of recent graduates from all higher education postgraduate programs.
33. In 2017, most employers (95%) of recent ITE graduates from undergraduate programs reported that the graduate’s qualification prepared them for employment, compared to 93% of employers of recent graduates from all undergraduate programs.
34. In 2017, most employers (91%) of recent ITE graduates from postgraduate programs reported that the graduate’s qualification prepared them for employment, compared to 93% of employers of recent graduates from all postgraduate programs.

Induction experiences of early career teachers

35. In 2019, 50% of early career teachers on a permanent contract and 18% of early career casual-relief teachers had received a formal induction.
36. In 2019, school leaders were more likely to indicate that formal induction had been provided than early career teachers themselves. Across all contract types, only 40% of early career teachers indicated that they had received a formal induction, while 69% of school leaders indicated that formal induction had been provided.
37. In 2019, 62% of early career teachers who received induction agreed that their experience made them feel a part of the profession.

Career intentions of early career teachers

38. In 2019, 44% of early career teachers indicated that they were not likely to leave classroom teaching in the foreseeable future, 26% were unsure, 20% indicated they would leave within 1–5 years, 6% indicated they would leave within 6–10 years, and 3% indicated they would leave after 10 years.

Introduction and background

Purpose

This is the seventh edition of the Initial Teacher Education: Data Report. Over the past seven years, this report has presented the available data on initial teacher education (ITE) in a single resource.

The Initial Teacher Education: Data Report 2019 brings together a range of data about ITE applicants, students, and graduates collected by the Australian Government that are publicly available or available upon request as customised data. Due to the timing of public release of data, most of the data used in this report are from 2017.

This report aims to inform ongoing research and policy development by providing data about ITE in an easily accessible, single resource. By highlighting, describing, and analysing data specific to teacher education in Australia, the report also contributes to a broader public discussion of issues related to ITE.

New to the 2019 report are:

• a new section, ‘At a glance’, which highlights notable findings in the report
• a retitling of the ‘Summary of key findings’ to ‘Executive summary’
• an update to the induction experiences and career intentions of early career teachers using data from the 2019 Stakeholder Survey, and
• a progress update on TEMAG implementation.

Definition of initial teacher education

An initial teacher education program is a higher education program that is accredited to meet the qualification requirements for registration as a school teacher in Australia. Education-related programs that do not lead to registration as a school teacher are also available. A Master of Education Curriculum Studies, for example, might be undertaken to extend a registered, practising teacher’s education knowledge.

Towards a national initial teacher education and teacher workforce data collection

ITE and the teacher workforce are national concerns requiring the effective collaboration of many key stakeholders: state, territory, and Commonwealth governments; Teacher Regulatory Authorities (TRAs); teacher education providers; teacher employers, schools, and their communities; representative groups; and individual teachers. With many datasets on ITE and the teaching workforce being based largely within jurisdictions, our knowledge and understanding of the outcomes of ITE programs, as well as workforce supply and demand at a national level and between states and territories, remains limited.

In 2014, the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group (TEMAG) was established, and its report, Action Now: Classroom Ready Teachers (2014) identified the compelling need for better national research and workforce planning as one of the key approaches to improving education outcomes through ITE. It found that a lack of consistent and timely national teacher data ‘hinders both continuous improvement in initial teacher education and workforce planning’ (TEMAG, 2014:9).

In December 2016, Education Council1 agreed that AITSL would implement the Australian Teacher Workforce Data (ATWD) initiative. The ATWD will unite existing national and jurisdiction-based ITE and teacher workforce datasets to provide a picture of ITE and the teacher workforce at the national level. It will enable supply pipeline modelling for workforce planning, and increase our understanding of the workforce outcomes of ITE and the trajectory of teaching careers. For the first time, Australia will have a complete, nationwide, longitudinal, evidence-based picture of the teaching workforce, from ITE to exit.

As data from the ATWD become available, the knowledge gained will identify national and local workforce trends. This will in turn inform and support better responses to emerging workforce developments and strengthen the positive impact of teaching on student outcomes across all systems and sectors.

The ATWD will also provide a complete picture of the employment outcomes of ITE and help us better understand teacher career pathways. This will inform improvement in ITE programs and courses and allow aspiring students to make better decisions about what to study and where to work. The ATWD will build on the ITE Data Report series by extending the analysis and reporting on workforce outcomes and trends.

Structure of this report

The Initial Teacher Education: Data Report 2019 is structured to conform to A Blueprint for Initial Teacher Education and Teacher Workforce Data (Table 1). This report includes data for all ‘ITE phase’ data items of the Blueprint.

In accordance with the Blueprint, the structure of this report corresponds to the successive phases of ITE: entry and progress through ITE, completion of ITE, and entry into early career teaching. This ITE lifecycle and the data relating to each phase of the lifecycle are presented in Sections 2 to 5 of the report. Specifically:

• Section 2 corresponds to the ‘entry into ITE’ phase listed in the Blueprint. It provides student commencement data, including information about student entry into ITE and about ITE programs.
• Section 3 corresponds to the ‘progress through ITE’ phase listed in the Blueprint. It provides data on all enrolled ITE students, including first-to-second-year retention rates and success rates.
• Section 4 corresponds to the ‘completion of ITE’ phase listed in the Blueprint. It provides student completion data, six-year completion rates, and data on the satisfaction and engagement of current ITE students and recent graduates.
• Section 5 corresponds to the ‘early career teacher’ phase listed in the Blueprint. It provides information about outcomes of ITE, including employment rates and employment status of recent ITE graduates, and induction experiences and career intentions of early career teachers.

Section 6 includes a data report on each ITE provider in Australia. These reports outline the demographic and study characteristics of commencing and completing ITE students, six-year completion rates, student and graduate satisfaction, and employment outcomes at the institution level.

Throughout the report, ITE data are compared to data across all higher education programs to provide context. Where appropriate, the data are separated into undergraduate and postgraduate results.

Data in this report

Data in this report have been sourced from the following national data collections and surveys.

Higher Education Student Data Collection

The Higher Education Student Data Collection (HESDC) is a census of administrative and statistical information on higher education students in Australia. Data are collected by higher education providers (HEPs) and submitted to the Australian Government Department of Education (the Department) through the Higher Education Information Management System (HEIMS) under the Higher Education Support Act 2003.

Once processed and signed off, HESDC data are available through the uCube2 or as customised data upon request. HESDC data from this report were derived from customised, aggregated tables generated by the Department. At the time of writing of this report, data from the HESDC were available only up until the end of 2017. Please refer to Appendix 3 for additional information about the HESDC.

University Applications and Offers Data Collection

The University Applications and Offers Data Collection records all applications by domestic applicants for Commonwealth-supported places in higher education undergraduate award courses through Australian Tertiary Admissions Centres (TACs). Records of offers made by universities and acceptances of those offers by students are also included in the collection. The data are processed and released in the same manner as for the HESDC. Please refer to Appendix 3 for additional information about the University Applications and Offers Data Collection.

Student Experience Survey

The Student Experience Survey (SES) is a comprehensive survey of higher education students in Australia. The SES is administered to commencing and later-year onshore undergraduate students. It measures student satisfaction and engagement levels across five indices. The SES is part of a new suite of surveys that comprise the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT).

SES data presented in this report include 95% confidence intervals to indicate the precision of the results. Appendix 3 contains further information about the SES, including response rates and an overview of respondent characteristics compared to the in-scope population.

Australian Graduate Survey/Graduate Outcomes Survey

The Australian Graduate Survey (AGS) comprises three distinct questionnaires administered to graduates about four months after graduation. The Graduate Destination Survey (GDS) and Postgraduate Destination Survey (PDS) are administered to graduates from undergraduate and postgraduate programs respectively. They both collect information on graduate employment outcomes, continuing study, and work-seeking status. The Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) is administered to graduates from both undergraduate and postgraduate programs and focuses on the extent to which graduates are satisfied with their course. All pre-2016 data in this report was gathered from the AGS.

In 2016, the GDS, PDS, and CEQ were combined into the Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS), which is part of the QILT suite of surveys. Additionally, the GOS collects information on recent-graduate readiness for employment.

AGS and GOS data presented in this report include 95% confidence intervals to indicate the precision of the results. Appendix 3 provides additional information about the AGS, including response rates and an overview of respondent characteristics compared to the in-scope population.

Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal

The Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal (GOS-L) is a continuation of the Graduate Outcomes Survey. The GOS-L is a cohort analysis measuring the medium-term employment outcomes of graduates, approximately three years after graduation. The data in this report follow the 2014 graduate cohort.

GOS-L data presented in this report include 95% confidence intervals to indicate the precision of the results. Appendix 3 provides additional information about the GOS-L, including response rates and an overview of respondent characteristics compared to the in-scope population.

Employer Satisfaction Survey

The Employer Satisfaction Survey (ESS) was developed to provide a measure of employer perceptions of the outcomes of graduates entering the workplace. The ESS is administered to employers (or direct supervisors) of recent graduates from higher education institutions, including both universities and non-university higher education institutions. The ESS collects data on a range of attributes, including foundation, adaptive, collaborative, technical, and employability skills.

ESS data presented in this report include 95% confidence intervals to indicate the precision of the results. Appendix 3 provides additional information about the ESS, including response rates and an overview of respondent characteristics compared to the in-scope population.

AITSL Stakeholder Survey

The AITSL Stakeholder Survey is undertaken by ITE students, providers, teachers, school leaders, and other education organisations. It measures awareness, engagement, effectiveness, and perceptions of AITSL and its policies, tools, and resources. It also explores key issues facing teachers and school leaders.

As with all survey data used in this report, 95% confidence intervals are included to indicate the precision of the results. Additional information about the AITSL Stakeholder Survey, including response rates, the respondent profile, and an assessment of data quality, is provided in Appendix 3.

AITSL Accredited Programs Database

The AITSL Accredited Programs Database contains information about the name, number, location, and characteristics of accredited ITE programs and providers. The information in the list has been provided by the TRAs for each state and territory. More information about the list, including an assessment of data quality, can be found in Appendix 3.

Entry into initial teacher education

This section provides data on the characteristics of commencing students and the ways they choose to study. It also provides early information about the potential pipeline of future teacher graduates.

Entrants to ITE come from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. Many enter teacher education programs directly from secondary education, and others after undertaking tertiary education or work. There are a variety of ways in which students can undertake their course, as well as many different types of ITE programs with different areas of focus.

This section presents information about 2017 commencing ITE students, including data on:

• demographics, basis of admission, and Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR)
• different ITE qualification types and levels, study areas, and types of attendance, and
• the number and characteristics of accredited ITE programs in Australia and the names of the institutions that provide them.

Please refer to Section 6 for data at the individual ITE provider level.

Key findings

Applications and offers

• In 2017, 27,733 highest-preference undergraduate applications were made to ITE programs through Tertiary Admissions Centres and 22,383 offers were made, 15,469 of which were made to highest preference applicants. The highest-preference offer rate (percentage of highest-preference applications that received an offer) was 56%

Commencing student numbers and demographics

• In 2017, 31,532 students commenced an ITE program, a 5% increase on the previous year. ITE students represented 5% of total commencements across all higher education programs. This figure has remained steady over the past decade.
• In 2017, 72% (n = 22,651) of commencing ITE students were female, 65% (n = 20,411) were aged 24 and under, 54% (n = 16,234) were from medium socio-economic status backgrounds, 76% (n = 22,836) were from metropolitan locations, and 2% (n = 657) were Indigenous.
• Compared to commencing students from all higher education programs, ITE had a higher proportion of females (72% versus 56%), a lower proportion of students from high socio-economic status backgrounds (24% versus 33%), and a lower proportion of students from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) (2% versus 4%).
• Based on the permanent home address of students, between 2016 and 2017 Queensland recorded the largest within-state/territory increase in commencing students (18%, n = 936), while Tasmania recorded the largest decrease (15%, n = 72). International student admissions increased significantly during this time (36%, n = 437).

Commencing student basis of admission and ATAR

• In 2017, at the undergraduate level, 37% (n = 8,206) of commencing ITE students entered from a secondary education pathway, a 1 percentage point increase on the previous year. At the postgraduate level, 97% (n = 9,300) entered through a higher education pathway; this was consistent with the results for 2016.
• Between 2016 and 2017, the proportion of commencing undergraduate ITE students who were admitted on the basis of their secondary education and had no submitted ATAR increased by 1 percentage point. Over the past decade, this proportion has increased by 2 percentage points, from 30% (n = 2,103) in 2008 to 32% (n = 2,534) in 2017.
• In 2017, 36% (n = 1,961) of commencing undergraduate ITE students who were admitted on the basis of their secondary education with a submitted ATAR had an ATAR of 70 or lower. This compares to 26% (n = 22,874) across all higher education programs.
• Between 2016 and 2017, there was a 4 percentage point decrease in the proportion of students who entered ITE through a secondary education pathway with an ATAR of 70 or lower, from 40% (n = 2,014) to 36% (n = 1,961). However, between 2008 and 2017, there was an increase in the proportion of ITE students entering with an ATAR of 70 or lower, from 31% (n = 1,532) to 36% (n = 1,961). This trend has been observed across all higher education programs: in 2008, 21% (n = 13,955) of entrants had an ATAR of 70 or lower, versus 26% (n = 22,874) in 2017.
• The proportion of ITE students who were admitted on the basis of their secondary education and who had an ATAR in the lower bands is low. In 2017, students entering via a secondary education pathway with an ATAR between 30 and 50 accounted for just 1% (n = 183) of total ITE commencements, while those with an ATAR between 51 and 60 accounted for 2% (n = 585) and those with an ATAR between 61 and 70 accounted for 4% (n = 1,193).

Commencing student study characteristics

• In 2017, 70% (n = 21,924) of ITE students commenced an undergraduate qualification and 30% (n = 9,608) commenced a postgraduate qualification. From 2015 to 2017, there was little change in the proportion of postgraduate ITE commencements. However, over the past decade the proportion of postgraduate commencements has increased (from 27%, n = 6,806 in 2008).
• Over the past decade, the proportion of master’s commencements increased, from 8% (n = 1,954) of total commencements in 2008 to 21% (n = 6,517) in 2017.
• The number of students studying to become secondary teachers has increased steadily since 2008. However, in 2017, commencements in primary ITE qualifications (n = 10,868) outnumbered those in secondary ITE qualifications (n = 9,870).
• Commencements in early childhood qualifications have been rising steadily and have almost doubled over the past decade, from 2,801 in 2008 to 4,017 in 2017.
• In 2017, 80% (n = 25,149) of ITE students commenced full-time and 20% (n = 6,383) commenced part-time study. These proportions remained unchanged from 2016.
• In 2017, 60% (n = 18,929) of ITE students commenced via an internal (i.e. on campus) mode of attendance, while 25% (n = 7,877) commenced via an external (i.e. online) mode of attendance. The remainder commenced via a mixed mode of attendance (i.e. a combination of on campus and online).
• Between 2008 and 2017, there was a 15 percentage point decline in the proportion of students commencing via an internal (i.e. on campus) mode of attendance and a 10 percentage point increase in the proportion commencing via an external (i.e. online) mode of attendance.
• In 2019, there were 325 accredited programs offered by 48 providers at 92 different locations across Australia.

Applications and offers for undergraduate places

Table 23 provides data on applications and offers to ITE programs for students entering an undergraduate program via a secondary education pathway. In 2017:

• 27,733 highest-preference applications were made for ITE programs.
• 15,469 highest-preference offers were made for ITE programs. As such, first-round offers were made to 56% of applicants who listed that particular ITE program as their highest preference.
• 22,383 offers were made for ITE programs in total.

Number of commencing students

A total of 31,532 students commenced an ITE program in 2017, an increase of 5% from 2016. Commencements across all higher education programs increased by 4% between 2016 and 2017 (Table 3).

The number of ITE commencements is further broken down by student type (Table 4), which shows that:

• 29,865 domestic students living in Australia commenced an ITE program in 2017, along with 64 domestic students whose home address was overseas
• 1,603 commencing ITE students were international.

Figure 1 shows that the number of commencements in ITE programs increased by 27% between 2008 and 2017. In 2017, commencing ITE students represented 5% of all commencing higher education students. This figure has remained steady over the past decade.

Characteristics of commencing students

Figure 2 details the characteristics of students who commenced an ITE program in 2017, set against the same information for all higher education students.

• 72% (n = 22,651) of ITE students were female, compared with 56% for all higher education students.
• 65% (n = 20,411) of ITE students were 24 and under, compared to 67% for all higher education students.

Figure 3 shows the equity status of domestic commencing ITE students compared to all commencing higher education students.

• 54% (n = 16,234) of ITE students were from medium socio-economic status backgrounds, versus 49% of all higher education students.
• Only 24% (n = 7,097) of ITE students were from high socio-economic status backgrounds, versus 33% for all higher education students.
• 76% (n = 22,836) of ITE students were from metropolitan locations, versus 79% of all higher education students.
• 2% (n = 657) of ITE students identified as Indigenous, similar to the proportion among all higher education students.
• The proportion of students with a disability was similar between ITE (5%, n = 1,534) and all higher education (6%), as was the proportion from remote locations (1% for both ITE [n = 334] and all higher education).
• ITE students were less likely than all higher education students to be from non-English-speaking backgrounds (NESB) (2% versus 4%).

Commencements by state/territory of home residence

 

Figure 4 shows the number of commencing ITE students by permanent home residence between 2008 and 2017. Over this time:

• Queensland recorded the largest (18%, n = 936) within-state/territory increase in commencing students, while Tasmania recorded the largest decrease (15%, n = 72).
• Queensland recorded the largest proportional increase of commencing students. In 2008, Queensland was home to 16% (n = 4,095) of the entire commencing population; by 2017 this had increased to 20% (n = 6,265).

Basis of admission

Students enter ITE programs through a number of pathways, including from secondary education, tertiary education, VET, and mature entry. The admission of students to ITE programs is at the discretion of providers, and selection occurs via different mechanisms. ATAR, prior academic performance, interviews, and written applications may all be employed in making selection decisions.

The basis-of-admission data in this report follow the admission criteria collected through the HESDC. Six categories of admission can be reported by HEPs to the HESDC:

• Secondary education undertaken at school, VET, or other HEP (Australian or overseas equivalent)
• A higher education course
• A VET award course other than a secondary education course (Australian or overseas equivalent; complete or incomplete)
• Mature age special entry provisions
• A professional qualification
• Other basis – where a student was granted an offer not falling into the above categories, for example, through a school principal’s letter of recommendation.

The basis-of-admission data are captured as part of ITE providers’ HESDC reporting requirements5 for commencing students. However, the data do not necessarily reveal what selection mechanisms were used within each basis-of-admission category or combination of categories. For example, the data would not show that a particular student entering via a secondary education pathway was admitted on the basis of an interview, written application, and ATAR.

In 2016, the Higher Education Standards Panel was commissioned to provide the Australian Government with options to improve the transparency of higher education student admissions policies. Its report, Improving Transparency of Higher Education Admissions Processes (Higher Education Standards Panel, 2016) outlined 14 recommendations which were accepted by the Australian Government6. An Implementation Working Group has been tasked with implementing the recommendations, which, in summary, include:

• Adopting a standard information template for admissions information
• Creating a national admissions platform
• Ensuring common language is used between universities and sectors
• Making it easier to compare course admissions criteria across jurisdictions
• Publishing minimum entry and bonus point schemes
• Making information from admissions centres more easily available.

Basis of admission of undergraduate and postgraduate students

Figure 5 presents the basis of admission for 2017 commencing students for both ITE and all higher education programs.

• 37% (n = 8,206) of ITE students entered from a secondary education pathway, 2 percentage points lower than for all higher education (40%).
• 28% (n = 6,072) of ITE students entered through a higher education pathway, 3 percentage points higher than for all higher education (25%).
• 16% (n = 3,556) of ITE students entered through a VET award, 5 percentage points higher than for all higher education (11%).

In 2017, 97% (n = 9,300) of postgraduate ITE students entered through a higher education pathway (not shown in Figure 5). Across all higher education programs, 89% (n = 171,752) of postgraduate students entered through a higher education pathway.

Basis-of-admission time series

Figure 6 presents 2008–2017 time series data on the basis of admission of commencing undergraduate ITE students.

• Fewer students commenced undergraduate ITE via a VET award pathway in 2017 (16%, n = 3,556) than in 2016 (18%, n = 3,767).
• The proportion of students who entered through a VET award pathway increased over the past decade, from 14% (n = 2,466) in 2008 to 16% (n = 3,556) in 2017.
• The proportion of students who entered undergraduate ITE through a secondary education pathway decreased from 42% (n = 8,629) in 2014 to 37% (n = 8,206) in 2017.
  

ATAR

The Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) is a measure of a final-year secondary student’s overall achievement, expressed as a percentile ranking within each state/territory. The ATAR has been designed so that admission officers selecting entrants to tertiary programs can consider the ranking to be equivalent across states/territories. ITE providers commonly report that they use ATAR as a measure of academic performance for selection of students into undergraduate programs. ATAR should not be confused with basis of admission, which can include qualifications such as a diploma or degree, secondary education, and other factors.

The ATAR is currently the primary source of nationally comparable data on entry standards to tertiary education and is often used as an indicator of the standard of entrants into tertiary education. However, the published minimum entry ATARs for admission to programs are affected by the levels of demand and supply for the programs. The ATAR data presented in this report provide a more complete picture than these published minimum entry ATARs. Comparing minimum entry ATARs does not reveal the distribution of students who meet or exceed the minimum ATAR score.

ATAR commencements

The HESDC captures ATAR data for all commencing students whose ATAR is available with their details at the time of their commencement. However, availability of an ATAR does not indicate that this was the mechanism by which the student was selected for a program. For example, postgraduate students are most likely to commence a program through a higher education pathway, being admitted on the basis of a completed undergraduate qualification. While postgraduate students may also have an ATAR in their higher education record, it is unlikely that it was considered in their selection into the program. In order to identify commencing students who were most likely selected on the basis of their ATAR, it is useful to limit the analysis to students who commenced from a secondary education basis-of-admission pathway. These entrants are most commonly offered a place in a higher education program on the basis of their ATAR.

Figure 7 provides the percentage of domestic undergraduate ITE students who were admitted on the basis of their secondary education with and without a submitted ATAR.

• In 2017, 68% (n = 5,402) of ITE students who were admitted on the basis of their secondary education had a submitted ATAR. This was 1 percentage point lower than the previous year.

The data do not reveal the basis or bases of admission for the commencing students with no submitted ATAR. Providers are not required to provide ATAR for students that commence a program more than a year after completing secondary education, and such students are captured here. Additionally, anecdotal information suggests that some secondary education entrants are admitted into tertiary programs on the basis of interviews with the HEP and/or letters of recommendations provided by secondary school principals.

Distribution of ATAR – students admitted on the basis of secondary education

Figure 8 presents the ATAR spread for commencing domestic undergraduate students admitted on the basis of their secondary education, both for ITE and across all higher education programs.

• In 2017, 64% (n = 3,441) of ITE students who were admitted on the basis of their secondary education and had a submitted ATAR had an ATAR above 70, compared with 74% (n = 63,951) of students across all higher education programs.

ATAR time series

Figure 9 presents the ATAR time series for undergraduate ITE students who entered via a secondary education pathway with a submitted ATAR. In 2017:

• The proportion of students who entered ITE with an ATAR of 70 or lower (36%, n = 1,961) decreased by 4 percentage points from 2016 (40%, n = 2,014).
• Students who commenced an ITE course via a secondary education pathway with an ATAR of 70 or lower accounted for only 6% (n = 1,961) of total commencements. This proportion has not changed since 2008 (6%, n = 1,532).
• Students who entered via a secondary education pathway with an ATAR between 30 and 50 accounted for just 1% (n = 183) of total ITE commencements; those with an ATAR between 51 and 60 accounted for 2% (n = 585); and those with an ATAR between 61 and 70 accounted for 4% (n = 1,193).

Figure 10 displays the same time series across all higher education programs for domestic undergraduates with a submitted ATAR who entered through a secondary pathway, demonstrating an increase in the percentage of students with an ATAR in the lower bands.

• In 2008, 21% (n = 13,955) of these undergraduates had an ATAR of 70 or lower, compared to 26% (n = 22,874) in 2017.

Commencements by level and type of qualification

The data presented above provide an indication of the characteristics of students commencing ITE. This section focuses on the levels and types of ITE programs that students are commencing and the ways they are studying. Data on the type and number of ITE programs are also provided.

Commencements by level of qualification

Figure 11 provides the number of commencing postgraduate and undergraduate ITE students between 2008 and 2017.

• In 2017, 70% (n = 21,924) of ITE students commenced an undergraduate qualification and 30% (n = 9,608) commenced a postgraduate qualification.
• Since 2015, there has been little change in the proportion of postgraduate commencements.
• The proportion of postgraduate commencements has increased over the past decade, from 27% (n = 6,806) in 2008 to 30% (n = 9,608) in 2017.

Commencements by type of qualification

Figure 12 shows commencements in ITE by program type.

• There was little change in the proportions of qualification types from 2016 to 2017.
• Over the past decade, the proportion of master’s commencements increased from 8% (n = 1,954) of total commencements in 2008 to 21% (n = 6,517) in 2017. This increase may reflect the requirement for two-year graduate entry ITE programs under the revised National Accreditation Standards.
• Over the past decade, the proportion of graduate diploma commencements decreased from 19% (n = 4,838) of total commencements in 2008 to 10% (n = 3,081) in 2017. Many graduate diplomas are one-year programs that are being phased out under the National Accreditation Standards, so commencements in these programs are likely to continue to decrease.

Commencements by detailed field of education

Detailed field of education refers to the subcategories of teacher education, such as primary, secondary, and early childhood. Data on commencements by detailed field of education highlight the specific areas of study students are entering. Figure 13 presents the breakdown of undergraduate and postgraduate commencements by detailed field of education in ITE. In 2017:

• Primary qualifications at the undergraduate level accounted for 27% (n = 8,501) of total commencements.
• Secondary qualifications at the undergraduate level accounted for 18% (n = 5,527) of total commencements.
• Early childhood qualifications were predominantly studied at the undergraduate level, accounting for 11% (n = 3,501) of total commencements, but only 2% (n = 516) of postgraduate commencements.
• Undergraduate students were more likely to commence primary qualifications (27%, n = 8,501) than secondary qualifications (18%, n = 5,527).
• Conversely, postgraduate students were more likely to commence secondary qualifications (14%, n = 4,343) than primary qualifications (8%, n = 2,367).

Figure 14 provides commencements by ITE detailed field of education from 2008 to 2017.

• The number of students commencing ITE to become secondary teachers has increased steadily since 2008. In 2014, for the first time in at least a decade, the number of secondary ITE qualifications surpassed that of primary ITE qualifications.
• In 2017 this trend reversed, and the number of primary qualification commencements (n = 10,868) was greater than secondary qualification commencements (n = 9,870).
• The proportion of commencements in early childhood qualifications remained stable from 2016 to 2017 at 13%.

Commencements by type and mode of attendance

Figure 15 presents the proportion of ITE students who commenced full-time and part-time study between 2008 and 2017.

• In 2017, 80% (n = 25,149) of ITE students commenced full-time and 20% (n = 6,383) commenced part-time study.
• There was no change in the proportion of part-time students between 2016 and 2017.
• The relative proportion of full-time and part-time students has remained fairly consistent over the past decade.

Figure 16 displays the proportion of total commencements in ITE by mode of attendance between 2008 and 2017. The greatest changes over the past decade include:

• a decline in the proportion of ITE students studying through an internal (i.e. on campus) mode of attendance, from 75% (n = 18,722) to 60% (n = 18,929)
• an increase in the proportion of ITE students studying through an external (i.e. online) mode of attendance, from 15% (n = 3,818) to 25% (n = 7,877).

It should be noted that prior to 2015, commencing ITE students from Swinburne Online were not included in these figures because their program identifiers were not coded to the HESDC as ‘initial teacher education’ programs. In 2015, 99% (n = 2,530) of Swinburne Online students commenced ITE through an external (i.e. online) mode of attendance, representing 33% of all commencing external ITE students. The inclusion of this program in the HESDC more than accounts for the 5% proportional increase in external commencements between 2014 and 2015.

There have been no significant changes in the proportion of commencements in ITE by mode of attendance between 2015 and 2017.

Student Status

The HESDC collects information about the payment status of commencing students, including whether they hold a Commonwealth-supported, full-fee-paying, international full-fee-paying, or fee-exempt place.

Figure 17 provides the payment status of commencing ITE students between 2008 and 2017.

• The proportion of students with a Commonwealth-supported place increased by 3 percentage points over the past decade, from 90% (n = 22,439) in 2008 to 93% (n = 29,365) in 2017.

Initial teacher education programs

There are a number of different ways in which students can obtain an ITE qualification. The Accreditation Standards8 state that upon satisfactory completion, the graduate must have a four-year or longer full-time-equivalent higher education qualification structured as one of the following:

• a three-year undergraduate degree providing the required discipline knowledge, plus a two-year (or equivalent) graduate-entry professional qualification (for example, a Bachelor of Arts plus a Master of Teaching)
• an integrated qualification of at least four years comprising discipline studies and professional studies (for example, a Bachelor of Education: Primary)
• combined degrees of at least four years covering discipline and professional studies (for example, a Bachelor of Education: Secondary and a Bachelor of Arts).9

Students who successfully complete an accredited program meet the qualification requirements for teacher registration in Australia. Institutions offer various programs covering both undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications, as well as programs focusing on specific stages of schooling, such as primary, secondary, and early childhood. Opportunities for specialisations in areas such as disability studies and Indigenous education are also available. Specialisations can be incorporated into initial degrees or attained through double-degree options.

Analysis of AITSL’s Accredited Programs List10 revealed the following program information:

• Across Australia, 325 accredited programs were offered by 48 providers at 92 different locations as of September 2019.11
• This has dropped considerably since 2013 in which 425 accredited programs were offered.
• 68% (n = 222) of programs were at the undergraduate level and 32% (n = 105) at the postgraduate level.
• 67% (n = 202) were four-year programs, 32% (n = 100) were two-year programs, and 1% (n = 4) were five-year programs.12
• Programs were classified into the following detailed fields of education:
  • Secondary (52%, n = 168)
  • Primary (30%, n = 96)
  • Early Childhood and Primary (12%, n = 39)
  • Other (7%, n = 22).

Figure 18 illustrates the number of ITE program locations across Australia by state/territory and regional classification, highlighting the accessibility of ITE programs to a broad range of prospective students. Of the 85 locations where ITE programs are offered:

• 57% (n = 52) are in metropolitan areas, while 43% (n = 40) are located regionally
• most are located in New South Wales (n = 27), followed by Victoria (n = 22) and Queensland (n = 22).

Many institutions also offer online programs, which further increases the accessibility of teacher education programs.

Accredited initial teacher education providers

Table 5 lists the 48 providers of ITE in Australia. This list was taken from AITSL’s Accredited Programs List and includes both ‘accredited’ and ‘accredited, but no longer offered’ programs. Note that data from this list are not directly comparable to ITE programs coded to the HESDC due to differences in timing, coding processes, and data definitions.

Progress through initial teacher education

This section provides data on the demographic and study characteristics of all currently enrolled ITE students.

To indicate how ITE students are progressing through their programs, first-to-second-year retention rates and success rates – the number of completed units as a percentage of the total number of units attempted – are calculated. The retention and success rates are cross-tabulated with demographic and other variables to provide insight into the factors that may influence student progression through ITE.

Key findings

Student numbers

• A total of 92,095 students were enrolled in an ITE program in 2017, an increase of 6% from 2016. Students enrolled in an ITE program represented 6% of students enrolled across all higher education programs. This figure has remained steady over the past decade.

First-to-second-year retention rates

• The 2016 to 2017 first-to-second-year retention rate (RR) in ITE was 77% (n = 15,748) for undergraduates.
• The 2016 to 2017 undergraduate retention rate in ITE was 3 percentage points lower than the mean rate of nine undergraduate higher education program types selected for comparison. That is, ITE students were less likely to remain in ITE for a second year than undergraduate students from other, similar higher education programs.
• The following groups of undergraduate ITE students had the highest 2016 to 2017 retention rates:
  • Students who commenced through a secondary education pathway with an ATAR of 81 or higher (RR 84%, n = 1,429)
  • Students who studied via a mixed (i.e. on campus and online) mode of attendance (RR 82%, n = 2,700)
  • Full-time students (RR 81%, n = 13,056)
  • Students who commenced aged 19 or younger (RR 80%, n = 7,723)
  • Students who commenced through a secondary education pathway with an ATAR between 71 and 80 (80%, n = 1,080).
• The following groups of undergraduate ITE students had retention rates at least 5 percentage points below the average for undergraduate ITE students (76%):
  • Part-time students (RR 59%, n = 2,300)
  • Students from a remote location (RR 71%, n = 206)
  • Students who commenced via a professional qualification pathway (RR 67%, n = 39).
  • Students who studied externally (i.e. online) (RR 67%, n = 3,332)
  • Students who commenced aged 25–29 (RR 70%, n = 1,344), 30–39 (RR 71%, n = 1,548), or 40+ (RR 70%, n = 783).

Success rates

• In 2017, the average success rate of ITE students (90%) was slightly higher than that of students across all higher education programs (88%).
• In 2017, postgraduate ITE students had a higher success rate (94%) than undergraduate ITE students (89%).
• In 2017, the following groups of ITE students had a success rate at least 5 percentage points lower than the average for all ITE undergraduates or postgraduates:
  
  • Undergraduate Indigenous students (RR 79%)
  • Undergraduates who commenced via a secondary education pathway with an ATAR of 60 or lower (RR 81%)
  • Part-time undergraduates (RR 77%) and postgraduates (89%)
  • Undergraduate (84%) and postgraduate (87%) students with a disability
  • Undergraduates who studied externally (i.e. online) (82%).

Number of enrolled students

A total of 92,095 students were enrolled in an ITE program in 2017, an increase of 6% from 2016 (Table 6).13 This included 88,783 domestic ITE students as well as 3,089 international students (Table 7). Across all higher education programs, the number of enrolled students increased by 4% between 2016 and 2017.

Figure 19 shows that the number of students enrolled in ITE programs has increased by 35% between 2008 and 2017. Over this time, the percentage of students enrolled in an ITE program as a proportion of all enrolled higher education students has remained steady, at around 6%.

Characteristics of enrolled students

Figure 20 details the characteristics of all enrolled ITE students and all higher education students in 2017.

• 74% (n = 68,584) of ITE students were female, versus 55% for all higher education students.
• 62% (n = 56,679) of ITE students were 24 or under, a similar proportion to that of all higher education students (64%, n = 930,999).

Figure 21 shows the equity status of all enrolled domestic ITE students compared to all enrolled higher education students for 2017.

Among ITE students:

• 54% (n = 48,281) were from medium socio-economic status backgrounds
• 75% (n = 66,802) were from metropolitan locations
• 2% (n = 2,005) were Indigenous.

When compared to all higher education students, ITE students:

• were more likely to be from medium socio-economic status backgrounds (54% versus 48%)
• were more likely to be from regional locations (24% versus 19%)
• were less likely to be from non-English speaking backgrounds (1% versus 4%)
• were equally likely to be Indigenous (2%) or from remote locations (1%).

First-to-second-year retention

An analysis of the first-to-second-year new adjusted retention rate in ITE provides information about the proportion of students who commenced an ITE program and continued with an ITE program at the same or different institution in their second year.14

There are other ways to measure retention. For example, it is possible to measure the general retention rate by determining the proportion of students that continued studying in any field of higher education in their second year, whether at the same or another institution. New adjusted retention rate was selected as the preferred method in this report because AITSL is particularly interested in the proportion of students who are retained in ITE, rather than those who are retained in higher education in general.

In this section, first-to-second-year new adjusted retention rates (hereafter referred to as ‘retention rates’) show the proportion of students that commenced an ITE program and remained in an ITE program the following year, whether at the same or another institution. The first subsection compares retention rates in ITE to those in other higher education program types. Next, ITE retention rates are examined across a number of demographic variables to provide insight into the characteristics of students (including modes of study and attendance) that may affect continuation beyond the first year of enrolment in an ITE program.

The retention rate data for a given year represent the students who commenced in that year and show their retention status in the following year. For example, the 2016 data reflect the proportion of students who commenced in 2016 and were retained in 2017. Retention rates are provided for undergraduate students only. It was not possible to calculate accurate first-to-second-year retention rates for postgraduate ITE students due to the large number of one-year postgraduate programs. For a full understanding of attrition and completion in undergraduate and postgraduate ITE, please refer to Section 4.7.

When interpreting retention rates, it should be noted that some students may take a leave of absence in their second year and recommence at a later date.

Retention in initial teacher education compared to other higher education program types

Figure 22 presents the first-to-second-year retention rate for undergraduate ITE students and undergraduate students from other higher education program types for 2016 commencing students.

• ITE undergraduates who commenced in 2016 had a retention rate of 77% (n = 15,748), 3 percentage points lower than the mean retention rate of the nine undergraduate higher education program types selected for comparison.15

Time series retention in undergraduate initial teacher education16

Figure 23 outlines retention rates in ITE for undergraduate students who commenced between 2007 and 2016. The data show:

• Despite the retention rate dipping to 72% (n = 15,398) in 2012, overall undergraduate retention has remained fairly stable at about 76%.

Retention in undergraduate initial teacher education by student and study characteristics

Figure 24 shows the retention rate for undergraduate ITE students who
commenced in 2016 by gender and age range. The average undergraduate
rate is also provided.
• The retention rate was 2 percentage points higher for females studying
ITE (77%, n = 11,429) than for males (75%, n = 3,927).
• Students aged 24 years or younger were more likely to be retained
than students aged 25 years or older.

Figure 25 shows the retention rate for 2016 commencing undergraduate ITE students by various equity status indicators, graphed against the undergraduate average.

• Undergraduate students from remote locations had a retention rate 5 percentage points lower (71%, n = 206), than the average undergraduate rate.
• Indigenous undergraduate students had a retention rate 4 percentage points lower (72%, n = 417) than the average undergraduate rate.

Figure 27 shows the retention rate of ITE undergraduates who commenced in 2016 by basis of admission, along with the average ITE undergraduate rate.

• Students who entered via a professional qualification pathway had a retention rate 9 percentage points lower (67%, n = 39) than the ITE undergraduate average.
• Students who entered via a secondary education pathway had the highest retention rate, at 79% (n = 5,808).

Figure 28 presents the retention rate of 2016 commencing undergraduate ITE students admitted on the basis of secondary education by ATAR band, alongside the average retention rate for ITE undergraduate entrants admitted on the basis of secondary education.

• Students with an ATAR of 81 or higher had an 84% (n = 1,429) retention rate, 5 percentage points higher than the average ITE secondary education pathway rate.
• Students with an ATAR of 50 or lower had a 72% (n = 230) retention rate, 7 percentage points lower than the average ITE secondary education pathway rate.
• Students with an ATAR of 51–60 had the second-lowest retention rate at 76% (n = 471), 3 percentage points lower than the average ITE secondary education pathway rate.
• A higher ATAR was generally associated with a higher retention rate.

In Figure 29, retention rates for 2016 commencing ITE undergraduates by type and mode of attendance are shown. The average undergraduate rate is also provided.

• Part-time students had a 59% (n = 2,300) retention rate, 17 percentage points lower than the average ITE undergraduate rate.
• Students studying externally had a 67% (n = 3,332) retention rate, 9 percentage points lower than the average ITE undergraduate rate.

Success rates

The success rates of students within a program provide valuable insight into how students are managing the study requirements of their program. Success rates are calculated as the sum of all units of study passed by students enrolled in a given year, divided by the sum of all units of study attempted (passed + failed + withdrawn) by those students. Success rates are presented as the equivalent full-time student load, EFTSL.17 As such, success rates should not be considered to represent the cumulative success of students across the entirety of their studies.

Success rate data are provided for ITE domestic undergraduate and postgraduate students across a range of student and study characteristics.

Time series success rates in initial teacher education compared to all higher education programs

Figure 30 provides success rate data for ITE students and students from all higher education programs enrolled between 2008 and 2017.

• The success rate in ITE was 90% in 2017, compared to 88% across all higher education programs.
• Success rates in ITE have remained slightly higher than those across all higher education programs over the past decade.

Time series success rates in undergraduate and postgraduate initial teacher education

Figure 31 outlines success rates for all students enrolled in ITE between 2008 and 2017 by level of qualification.

• The success rate was 89% for undergraduates and 94% for postgraduates in 2017.
• Success rates in both undergraduate and postgraduate programs have remained fairly steady over the past decade.
• Postgraduate success rates have consistently remained about 5 percentage points above undergraduate rates over the past decade.

Success rates in undergraduate and postgraduate initial teacher education by various student and study characteristics in 2017

Figure 32 shows success rates by gender and age range for undergraduate and postgraduate ITE students who were enrolled in 2017. The average undergraduate and postgraduate rates are also provided. For both undergraduate and postgraduate students:

• Females had higher success rates than males.
• Younger students had higher success rates than older students.

Figure 33 shows success rates by various equity status indicators for undergraduate and postgraduate ITE students in 2017. The average undergraduate and postgraduate rates are also provided.

For undergraduates:

• Indigenous students had a 79% success rate, 9 percentage points lower than the average undergraduate rate.
• Students with a disability had an 84% success rate, 5 percentage points lower than the average undergraduate rate.

For postgraduates:

• Students with a disability had an 87% success rate, 7 percentage points lower than the average postgraduate rate.

Figure 34 shows the success rates for 2017 ITE undergraduate students who entered via a secondary education pathway by ATAR band, along with the average undergraduate success rate.

• Students who were admitted on the basis of their secondary education with an ATAR of 30–50 had an 80% success rate, 8 percentage points lower than the average undergraduate rate.
• Students who were admitted on the basis of their secondary education with an ATAR of 91–100 had a 96% success rate, 7 percentage points higher than the average undergraduate rate.
• A higher ATAR was generally associated with a higher success rate.

Figure 35 presents 2017 success rates for undergraduate and postgraduate ITE students by type and mode of attendance. It also presents the average undergraduate and postgraduate retention rates.

For undergraduates:

• Part-time students had a 77% success rate, 11 percentage points lower than the average undergraduate rate.
• Students studying via an external (i.e. online) mode of attendance had an 82% success rate, 7 percentage points below the average undergraduate rate.

For postgraduates:

• Part-time students had an 89% success rate, 5 percentage points below the postgraduate average.

Completion of initial teacher education

This section presents data on the demographics of 2017 completing ITE students and the types and levels of qualifications they undertook. This data gives insight into the potential pipeline of graduates entering the teaching profession.

This section highlights completion outcomes in ITE. Six-year completion and attrition rates of ITE students are compared to those of students from various higher education programs, and cross-tabulated with demographic and other variables. The impact of multiple demographic factors on completion in ITE is also examined.

Key findings

Completing student numbers and demographics

• A total of 18,397 students completed an ITE program in 2017, a 5% increase on the previous year. Completions in ITE represented 5% of completions across all higher education. This figure has remained steady over the past decade.
• In 2017, 75% (n = 13,839) of completing ITE students were female, 74% (n = 13,652) were aged 20–29, 54% (n = 9,535) were from medium socio-economic status backgrounds, 77% (n = 13,483) were from metropolitan locations, and 2% (n = 266) were Indigenous.
• In 2017, the proportion of ITE students who were female, Indigenous, from low or medium socio-economic status backgrounds, and/or from regional locations was higher than that of completing students from all higher education programs.
• The ACT recorded the largest (25%, n = 61) within-state/territory proportional increase of completing students between 2016 and 2017, while Victoria recorded the largest within-state/territory decline (5%, n = 216). These results relate to the permanent home address of the student, not the location of the higher education provider.

Completing student qualification levels and types

• In 2017, 61% (n = 11,262) of ITE students completed an undergraduate qualification and 39% (n = 7,135) completed a postgraduate qualification. The proportion of postgraduate ITE completions increased by 1 percentage point from 38% (n = 6,724) in 2016.
• Over the past decade, the proportion of completing postgraduate students has risen by 7 percentage points, from 31% (n = 5,193) in 2008.
• There was no change in the proportion of ITE master’s completions between 2016 (22%, n = 3,802) and 2017 (22%, n = 4,032). Over the past decade, the proportion of ITE master’s completions has increased by 16 percentage points, from only 6% (n = 993) in 2008.
• Primary qualifications represented 24% (n = 4,503) of undergraduate and 9% (n = 1,730) of postgraduate completions in 2017.
• Secondary qualifications represented 15% (n = 2,835) of undergraduate and 18% (n = 3,258) of postgraduate completions in 2017.
• In 2017, far more undergraduates (11%, n = 1,965) than postgraduates (2%, n = 339) completed an early childhood qualification.
• The proportion of graduates completing early childhood qualifications has remained steady at around 13% since 2013.
• The number of completions in secondary qualifications is similar to those in primary qualifications. In 2017, 6,233 primary qualifications and 6,093 secondary qualifications were completed. These qualifications represented 34% and 33% of all ITE completions, respectively.

Six-year completion rates – proportion of students in a cohort who completed their degree within six years

• The six-year completion rate for ITE students who commenced in 2012 was 51% (n = 10,848) for undergraduates and 78% (n = 6,200) for postgraduates.
• Among the 2012 commencing cohort, the ITE undergraduate completion rate was 2 percentage points lower than the mean rate for the nine undergraduate higher education program types selected for comparison, while the postgraduate ITE completion rate was 10 percentage points higher than the mean.
• Both undergraduate and postgraduate ITE courses experienced a decline in six-year completion rates between the 2007 and 2012 commencing cohorts (10 percentage points for undergraduates and 3 percentage points for postgraduates). This decline was steeper than that of other higher education programs.
• Among the 2012 commencing cohort, the following groups of ITE students had the highest six-year completion rates:
  Undergraduates who:
  • commenced through a secondary education pathway with an ATAR of 91 or higher (69%, n = 340)
  • commenced through a secondary education pathway (58%, n = 5,147)
  • studied full-time (57%, n = 10,050)
  • studied via an internal (i.e. on campus) mode of attendance (57%, n = 8,653).
  Postgraduates who:
  • studied via a mixed (i.e. on campus and online) mode of attendance (87%, n = 630)
  • were aged 24 or under when commencing (86%, n = 3,090)
  • studied full-time (84%, n = 5,799)
  • studied via an internal (i.e. on campus) mode of attendance (82%, n = 4,833)
  • resided in Queensland (81%, n = 749) or ACT (80%, n = 114).
• The following groups of undergraduate ITE students had a six-year completion rate at least 5 percentage points lower than the average undergraduate ITE rate of 51%:
  • Students who resided in Tasmania (30%, n = 125)
  • Students who studied externally (i.e. online) (31%, n = 1,449)
  • Indigenous students (37%, n = 195)
  • Students who commenced aged 25 or over (39%, n = 2,363)
  • Students who commenced via ‘Other basis’ (43%, n = 828)
  • Male students (45%, n = 2,200)
  • Students with a disability (45%, n = 459)
  • Students who resided in Queensland (45%, n = 1,595)
  • Students who commenced with an ATAR between 30 and 50 (45%, n = 85)
  • Students who commenced via a higher education pathway (45%, n = 2,566)
  • Students who resided in the NT (46%, n = 129).
• The following groups of postgraduate ITE students had a six-year completion rate at least 5% lower than the average postgraduate ITE rate of 79%:
  • Indigenous students (60%, n = 34)
  • Students who resided in Tasmania (64%, n = 173)
  • Students who studied externally (i.e. online) (65%, n = 1,277)
  • Students who resided in Tasmania (66%, n = 109)
  • Students with a disability (66%, n = 236)
  • Students who commenced aged 25 or over (70%, n = 3,650).

Student and graduate satisfaction

• Undergraduate ITE students and students from all higher education programs were both highly satisfied with the quality of their educational experience in 2017 (78% and 79% satisfaction, respectively).
• In 2017, 21% of current undergraduate students seriously considered an early departure. This figure was 1 percentage point higher than that for current undergraduates from all higher education programs (20%).
• Of those current undergraduate ITE students with early-departure intentions, the most common reasons for leaving related to ‘health/stress’ (50%), ‘study/life balance’ (36%), ‘workload difficulties’ (32%), and the ‘need to do paid work’ (32%).
• Recent ITE graduates from both undergraduate and postgraduate programs had high overall levels of satisfaction with their course in 2017 (77% and 75% satisfaction, respectively).

Graduate perceptions of their course

• In 2017, ITE graduates were more likely to report that their qualification prepared them for employment (undergraduate: 86%; postgraduate: 81%) than graduates from all higher education programs (undergraduate: 69%; postgraduate: 75%).

Number of completing students

A total of 18,397 students completed an ITE program in 2017, an increase of 5% from 2016. Across all higher education programs, the number of completing students increased by 3% between 2016 and 2017 (Table 8). There were 17,553 domestic and 793 international ITE completions in 2017 (Table 9).

Figure 36 shows the number of completing ITE students between 2008 and 2017.

• Over the past decade, the number of completing ITE students has increased by 11%.
• Over the past decade, the percentage of students completing an ITE program as a proportion of all completing students in higher education has remained steady, at approximately 5%.

Characteristics of completing students

Figure 37 details the characteristics of all students who completed an ITE program in 2017. For context, this information is also provided for all higher education students.

• Most completing ITE students were female (75%, n = 13,839), as opposed to 57% of all higher education students.
• Most completing ITE students were between the ages of 20 and 29 (74%, n = 13,652), similar to the results for all higher education students.

Figure 38 provides equity status data for completing ITE students and students across all higher education programs.

Among completing ITE students:

• 54% (n = 9,535) were from medium socio-economic status backgrounds.
• 77% (n = 13,483) were from metropolitan locations.
• 2% (n = 266) were Indigenous.

When compared to students across all higher education programs, ITE students:

• were more likely to be of medium socio-economic status (54% versus 47%)
• were more likely to be from regional locations (22% versus 17%)
• were less likely to be from non-English speaking backgrounds (1% versus 4%)
• were more likely to be Indigenous (2% versus 1%).

Figure 39 presents time series data for completing ITE students by home residence. This provides an indication of the supply of graduate teachers around Australia.

• Queensland recorded the largest (19%, n = 535) within-state/territory proportional increase of completing students between 2016 and 2017, while Victoria recorded the largest proportional decline (5%, n = 216).
• Western Australia recorded the largest proportional increase of completing students over the past decade (40%, n = 619).
• New South Wales recorded the largest proportional decline of completing students over the past decade. New South Wales was home to 34% (n = 5,693) of the entire completing population in 2008, but this figure dropped to 30% (n = 5,556) in 2017.

Completions by state/territory of home residence

Figure 39 presents time series data for completing ITE students by home residence. This provides an indication of the supply of graduate teachers around Australia.

• Queensland recorded the largest (19%, n = 535) within-state/territory proportional increase of completing students between 2016 and 2017, while Victoria recorded the largest proportional decline (5%, n = 216).
• Western Australia recorded the largest proportional increase of completing students over the past decade (40%, n = 619).
• New South Wales recorded the largest proportional decline of completing students over the past decade. New South Wales was home to 34% (n = 5,693) of the entire completing population in 2008, but this figure dropped to 30% (n = 5,556) in 2017.

Completions by type and level of qualification

Figure 40 provides completions in ITE by program type.

• Over the past decade, the proportion of master’s completions increased from 6% (n = 993) of total completions in 2008 to 22% (n = 4,032) in 2017.
• From 2008 to 2014, the proportion of graduate diploma completions remained consistent at around 25%. However, total graduate diploma completions dropped by 9 percentage points between 2014 (26%, n = 4,734) and 2016 (17%, n = 2,908), then remained steady at 17% (n = 3,100) in 2017. Many graduate diploma programs are one-year programs that are being phased out under the National Accreditation Standards, which may explain the decrease in completions for these programs between 2014 and 2016.

Figure 41 provides the proportion of completing undergraduate and postgraduate ITE students between 2008 and 2017.

• In 2017, 61% (n = 11,262) of ITE students completed an undergraduate qualification and 39% (n = 7,135) completed a postgraduate qualification.
• The proportion of postgraduate completions increased slightly over the previous year, from 38% (n = 6,724) in 2016.
• The proportion of postgraduate completions has increased over the past decade, from 31% (n = 5,193) in 2008.

Completions by detailed field of education

Figure 42 provides ITE completions by level of qualification and detailed field of education.

• 24% (n = 4,503) of students completed an undergraduate primary qualification and 9% (n = 1,730) completed a postgraduate primary qualification.
• 15% (n = 2,835) of students completed an undergraduate secondary qualification and 18% (n = 3,258) completed a postgraduate secondary qualification.
• A much higher proportion of undergraduates (11%, n = 1,965) completed an early childhood qualification than of postgraduates (2%, n = 339).

Six-year completion and attrition rates

This section presents a series of six-year longitudinal cohort analyses showing the proportion of students who completed, discontinued, or were still enrolled in an ITE program within six years of their commencement. The analyses show completion rates in ITE compared to other higher education programs, and completion rates in ITE by various student demographic and study characteristics.

A cohort analysis provides a more accurate picture of completion in ITE than, for example, a comparison of commencement and completion data across years. To determine the completion and attrition rates by cohort analysis, a matching process using Student ID, Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN), and field-of-education indicators was used to track the progress of a cohort over six years. The resulting data represent completion outcomes for all commencing students within a cohort six years after their commencement, regardless of the circumstances of their journey. For example, completion outcomes are included for students who progressed straight through their course, who took leave periods, who deferred or discontinued and re-enrolled in the same program type, and who changed higher education provider. A six-year timeframe was deemed appropriate because previous analysis of HEIMS data suggests only a very small proportion of students go on to complete an ITE program after six years.18

Note that the six-year completion rates presented in this report may differ from those in other publications that also use data from the HESDC. It is likely that any differences reflect a different approach to analysis of the data. In AITSL’s analysis, for a student to be counted as ‘completed’, they must have completed in the same field of education in which they commenced, regardless of whether or not they changed programs within that field of education. For example, a student who commenced an ITE program at University A and completed an ITE program at University B within six years would be counted as having completed the same program. If that same student had completed a non-ITE program within six years, they would be counted as having dropped out or enrolled in another program.

Six-year completion rates in initial teacher education compared to other higher education program types

Figure 44 shows the status of the 2012 commencing undergraduate cohort, by ITE and other fields of higher education, up to the end of 2017. That is, it provides the six-year completion and attrition rates for undergraduate students who commenced in 2012 in ITE and across a range of other higher education program types. It also shows the proportion of students who were still enrolled in the same program in the sixth year.

• ITE undergraduates had a completion rate of 51% (n = 10,848), 2 percentage points lower than the mean completion rate of the nine undergraduate higher education program types selected for comparison.
• ITE undergraduates had an attrition rate of 42% (n = 8,992), 1 percentage point higher than the mean attrition rate of the nine undergraduate higher education program types selected for comparison.

The equivalent data for postgraduate students is presented in Figure 45. The chart shows:

• ITE postgraduates had a completion rate of 78% (n = 6,200), 10 percentage points higher than the mean completion rate of the nine postgraduate program types selected for comparison.
• ITE postgraduates had an attrition rate of 21% (n = 1,632), 7 percentage points lower than the mean attrition rate of the postgraduate higher education program types selected for comparison.

It should be noted that ITE postgraduate programs had the highest completion rate and the lowest proportion of students still engaged in their sixth year. This could indicate that the postgraduate programs selected for comparison take longer to complete than ITE. The completion rates for these programs may increase if the analysis was extended beyond six years.

Time series six-year completion rates for undergraduate and postgraduate initial teacher education students

Figure 46 provides the completion rates for undergraduate and postgraduate ITE students and the mean completion rate for undergraduate and postgraduate students from other higher education programs, six years after their commencement. These rates are presented for the 2007 through to 2012 commencing cohorts.

• Completion rates in postgraduate ITE programs have been, on average, about 27 percentage points higher than in undergraduate programs. The difference in the duration of these qualifications should be considered when interpreting the results.
• The completion rate for undergraduate ITE programs decreased by 10 percentage points between the 2007 and 2012 commencing cohorts, while the average completion rate of other undergraduate higher education programs decreased by 2 percentage points.19
• The completion rate for postgraduate ITE programs decreased by 3 percentage points between the 2007 and 2012 commencing cohorts, while the average completion rate of other higher education programs increased by 4 percentage points.20

Six-year completion rates for undergraduate and postgraduate initial teacher education students by various population and study characteristics21

This section provides an outline of the completion rates for ITE students over time and across various student demographic and study characteristics. To enable easier interpretation of the data, this section shows the completion rate only, and does not reflect the attrition rates or proportion of students still enrolled in their sixth year (as in Figures 44 and 45 above).

The results show that some characteristics are associated with particularly high or low completion rates. When interpreting the data, it is important to remember that a range of factors are usually associated with higher and lower completion rates. For example, the data indicate that students attending via an external (i.e. online) mode of attendance have much lower than average completion rates; however, that does not necessarily indicate that studying via an external (i.e. online) mode of attendance causes lower than average completion. Students who study externally are older than average, more likely to study part-time, and more likely to live in a non-metropolitan location. These factors are also associated

Figure 47 shows the completion rate for undergraduate and postgraduate ITE students by gender and age range (2012 commencing cohort). The average undergraduate and postgraduate completion rates are also provided.

For undergraduates:

• The completion rate was 7 percentage points higher for females (53%, n = 8,994) than for males (45%, n = 2,200).
• The completion rate was 17 percentage points higher for students aged 24 or under when commencing (56%, n = 8,831) than for students aged 25 or over when commencing (39%, n = 2,363).

For postgraduates:

• The completion rate was 2 percentage points higher for females (79%, n = 4,802) than for males (77%, n = 1,938).
• The completion rate was 16 percentage points higher for students aged 24 or under when commencing (86%, n = 3,090) than for students aged 25 or over when commencing (70%, n = 3,650).

Figure 48 provides completion rates for domestic undergraduate and postgraduate ITE students (2012 commencing cohort) by various equity status indicators. The average domestic completion rates are provided for comparison.

The following groups of undergraduate students had a completion rate at least 5 percentage points lower than the domestic average:

• Indigenous students had a 37% (n = 195) completion rate, 14 percentage points lower than the average domestic undergraduate rate.
• Students with a disability had a 45% (n = 459) completion rate, 6 percentage points lower than the average domestic undergraduate rate.

The following groups for postgraduates had a completion rate at least 5 percentage points lower than the domestic average:

• Indigenous students had a 60% (n = 34) completion rate, 18 percentage points lower than the average domestic postgraduate rate.
• Remote students had a 62% (n = 33) completion rate, 16 percentage points lower than the average domestic postgraduate rate.
• Students with a disability had a 66% (n = 236) completion rate, 12 percentage points lower than the average domestic postgraduate rate.

Figure 49 shows undergraduate and postgraduate completion rates for ITE students by state of permanent home address (2012 commencing cohort). The average undergraduate and postgraduate completion rates are provided for context.

For undergraduates:

• Tasmania had a 30% (n = 125) completion rate, 21 percentage points lower than the average undergraduate rate.
• Queensland had a 45% (n = 1,595) completion rate, 6 percentage points lower than the average undergraduate rate.
• Northern Territory had a 46% (n = 129) completion rate, 5 percentage points lower than the average undergraduate rate.

For postgraduates:

• Tasmania had a 66% (n = 109) completion rate, 12 percentage points lower than the average postgraduate rate.

Figure 50 presents undergraduate ITE completion rates by basis of admission (2012 commencing cohort), alongside the average undergraduate completion rate.

• Students who entered via a secondary education pathway had the highest completion rate (58%, n = 5,147), 7 percentage points higher than the undergraduate average.
• Students who entered based on ‘Other basis’ had the lowest completion rate (43%, n = 828), 8 percentage points lower than the undergraduate average.
• Students who entered on the basis of higher education had a 45% (n = 2,566) completion rate, 6 percentage points lower than the undergraduate average.

Completion rates for postgraduate students by basis of admission are not reported because about 95% of postgraduates enter through a higher education pathway.

Figure 51 presents undergraduate ITE completion rates by ATAR band for students who were admitted on the basis of secondary education, alongside the average undergraduate completion rate for the secondary education pathway.

• Students with an ATAR of 81 or higher had a 66% (n = 1,201) completion rate, 8 percentage points higher than the average undergraduate secondary education pathway rate.

Figure 52 shows undergraduate and postgraduate ITE completion rates by mode of attendance (2012 commencing cohort), as well as the average undergraduate and postgraduate completion rates for context.22

• The completion rate for undergraduate students studying through an internal (i.e. on campus) (57%, n = 8,653) or multi-modal (56%, n = 1092) mode of attendance was 6 percentage points higher than the undergraduate average.

• The completion rate for postgraduate students studying through a multi-modal mode of attendance (87%, n = 630) was 9 percentage points higher than the postgraduate average.

Six-year completion rates in initial teacher education: Multiple factors associated with lower completion for undergraduates and postgraduates

The analysis above shows that some student demographic and study characteristics are associated with lower than average completion rates. As noted, however, it cannot be concluded that a particular demographic or study characteristic is responsible for lower completion rates, as multiple factors may impact the likelihood of a student completing their course.

To provide a more nuanced understanding of completion in ITE, AITSL undertook an analysis of students from low socio-economic status backgrounds. The six-year completion rate of these students was then analysed by a range of demographic and study characteristics, including gender, age, Indigeneity, disability status, location, and type and mode of attendance.

Given the level of disaggregation in this analysis, average completion rates were calculated across five cohorts (from 2007 through to 2012) in order to reduce the level of outcome fluctuation. Such variance is due in part to the small number of students belonging to multiple categories when analysis is restricted to a single cohort.

Many characteristics were analysed; however, only those additional factors that were associated with a completion rate at least 5 percentage points lower than the average rate for students from low socio-economic status backgrounds, and at least 5 percentage points lower than the completion rate for the additional factor itself, are highlighted.

• Students from low socio-economic status backgrounds aged 25 and older had a completion rate of 43% (n = 3,061), 10 percentage points lower than the rate for all students from low socio-economic status backgrounds (55%, n = 13,537) and 5 percentage points lower than the rate for all students aged 25 and older (48%, n = 14,779).

AITSL undertook the equivalent analysis for low socio-economic status postgraduate students. No additional factors met the reporting threshold, that is, no factors were associated with completion rates at least 5 percentage points lower than the rates for low socio-economic status students or the additional factor itself.

Current student and recent graduate satisfaction

ITE programs are designed to prepare students to commence their professional journey in the classroom. Student and graduate satisfaction levels are useful indicators of the success of ITE programs and higher education providers in preparing classroom-ready graduates. This section presents various student and graduate perception data from the Student Experience Survey (SES) and Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ).

The SES is a survey administered to commencing and later-year students from undergraduate programs that captures data on their satisfaction and engagement with their higher education experience. The CEQ is administered to graduates (from undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs) about four months after graduation and captures data on course satisfaction. Please refer to Appendix 3 for further information about the SES and CEQ, including an assessment of data quality.

Student satisfaction

Figures 53, 54, and 55 present data from the SES which was designed to conceptualise and measure five domains of the student higher education experience. The five domains reflect student satisfaction with the skills development they experienced, the level of engagement at their institution, the quality of teaching in their course, the support they received at their institution, and the learning resources provided by their institution. There is also an overall measure of the quality of the educational experience. The five domains are measured via 46 individual survey items, which can be found in Appendix 4.

Figure 53 shows the percentage of students who were satisfied across the five SES domains and the overarching ‘quality of educational experience’ measure. Data are shown for ITE undergraduate students and students from all undergraduate higher education courses in 2017. Ninety-five-percent confidence intervals are provided to indicate the precision of the survey results. Overlap between confidence intervals suggests there may be no statistically significant difference between the results, while a lack of overlap suggests the results are statistically significant.

• ITE students were highly satisfied with the learning resources provided (82%) and the skills development experienced (81%).23
• ITE students were moderately satisfied with learner engagement (59%) and student support (71%).
• Variation between ITE students and students from all higher education courses across the SES domains was small.
• Teaching quality was rated slightly (but statistically significantly) lower by students from ITE programs than by all higher education students.

Figure 54 provides the percentage of ITE undergraduates who were satisfied across the five SES domains over time.

• The proportion of ITE students satisfied with learner engagement was lower in 2017 (59%) than in 2016 (62%).
• The proportion of ITE students satisfied with teaching quality was lower in 2017 (78%) than in 2016 (80%).
• The proportion of ITE students satisfied with learning resources was lower in 2017 (82%) than in 2016 (84%).

Figure 55 presents the percentage of undergraduate ITE students who were satisfied with the quality of their educational experience by ITE provider in 2017. Provider names have been replaced with randomly assigned numerical identifiers. Ninety-five-percent confidence intervals have been included to indicate the precision of the results. Overlap between confidence intervals suggests there may be no statistically significant difference between the results, while a lack of overlap suggests the results are statistically significant. Wider confidence intervals indicate a larger degree of variance around the point estimate for a provider.

• The proportion of students who were satisfied with the quality of their educational experience varied widely among ITE providers.
• The difference between ITE providers in the lowest quartile and those in the highest quartile appears to be significant.
• No significant differences emerged between ITE providers in the middle two quartiles of the distribution.

Students considering early departure

In addition to measuring students’ satisfaction with their educational experience, the SES also captures data on their departure intentions.

Figure 56 shows the proportion of undergraduate students who indicated they had seriously considered leaving between 2015 and 2017. The chart presents responses from ITE students and students from all higher education programs, along with 95% confidence intervals.

• The proportion of ITE students who had seriously considered leaving increased slightly between 2016 (19%) and 2017 (21%).
• Departure intentions did not differ significantly between ITE students and students from all higher education programs.

Students who indicated they had seriously considered leaving in 2017 were asked to select their reasons from a list of 30 options.

Figure 57 shows these results for undergraduate ITE students and students from all higher education programs, together with 95% confidence intervals. The results were filtered to show the 10 most prominent reasons for ITE students. Respondents were asked to select as many reasons as applied, hence the percentages do not add up to 100%.

• The most common reasons for leaving relate to everyday/situational circumstances, such as ‘health/stress’ (50%, n = 1,059), ‘study/life balance’ (36%, n = 766),workload difficulties (32%, n = 681), and the ‘need to do paid work’ (32%, n = 682). This suggests that student support may be important in maximising ITE students’ higher education experience.
• ITE students had similar reasons to students across all higher education courses for considering leaving; however, ITE students were significantly more likely to nominate ‘health/stress’, ‘workload difficulties’, ‘need to do paid work’, ‘paid work responsibilities’, and ‘study/life balance’ as potential reasons for departure.

Graduate satisfaction

Figures 58 and 59 present data from the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ), which is administered to graduates from undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs about four months after graduation. The CEQ asks graduates to agree or disagree with statements about aspects of their course that have been shown to influence student learning. Graduates are asked questions to assess three focus areas: whether they experienced good teaching practices during their study, whether their studies improved their generic skills, and whether they were satisfied with their course overall. The three CEQ focus areas are measured through numerous individual survey items, which can be found in Appendix 4. There are several differences in methodology between the Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS) and Australian Graduate Survey (AGS), and therefore comparisons between 2015 and all following years should be undertaken with caution. Low response rates may also impact the comparability of data.

Figure 58 shows the percentage of graduates who were satisfied across the three CEQ focus areas in 2017, along with 95% confidence intervals. Data are shown for ITE graduates and graduates from all higher education courses and are split into undergraduates and postgraduates.24

For undergraduates:

• ITE graduates had high overall levels of satisfaction with their course (77%) and agreed their course had improved their generic skills (77%).
• ITE graduates’ satisfaction with the quality of teaching was quite low (58%).
• ITE graduates were significantly less likely than graduates from all higher education courses to agree that they had experienced good teaching and that their course had improved their generic skills. They also had lower levels of overall satisfaction.

For postgraduates:

• ITE graduates were significantly less likely than their ITE undergraduate counterparts to agree that the course had improved their generic skills (67%). However, they had higher levels of satisfaction with the quality of teaching they had experienced in their course (63%).
• Compared to graduates from all higher education courses, ITE graduates had significantly lower levels of agreement across all three CEQ focus areas.

Figure 59 shows the percentage agreement of ITE undergraduates and postgraduates across the three CEQ focus areas, along with 95% confidence intervals. Between 2015 and 2017:

• The proportion of undergraduates and postgraduates who agreed they had experienced good teaching in their course and had improved their generic skills significantly decreased.
• Undergraduates’ overall satisfaction with their course significantly decreased.
• Postgraduates’ overall satisfaction with their course did not significantly change.

Additional data on completing students from the HESDC and full aggregated tables of the data from the HESDC, SES, and GDS presented in this report can be found on the AITSL Initial Teacher Education: Data Report 2019 webpage: http://www.aitsl.edu.au/initial-teacher-education/data-report-2019.

Graduate perceptions of foundation skills, adaptive skills, and teamwork skills

Figure 60 shows the extent to which recently employed graduates reported that their qualification provided them with the foundation, adaptive, and teamwork skills required for employment. Data are shown for ITE graduates and graduates from all higher education courses in 2017 and are split into undergraduates and postgraduates.25

For undergraduates:

• The extent to which ITE graduates reported that their qualification provided the required foundation (83%), adaptive (80%), and teamwork skills (77%) was similar to that for all higher education graduates (foundation: 84%; adaptive: 81%; teamwork: 77%).

  For postgraduates:

• The proportion of graduates who reported that their qualification equipped them with foundation skills was lower for ITE (73%) than for all higher education graduates (79%).
• The proportion of graduates who reported that their qualification equipped them with adaptive skills was lower for ITE (73%) than for all higher education graduates (80%).

Graduate perceptions of employment readiness

Figure 61 shows the extent to which recently employed ITE graduates reported that their qualification prepared them for employment. Data are shown for ITE graduates and graduates from all higher education courses and are split into undergraduates and postgraduates.26

For undergraduates:

• The proportion of graduates who reported that their qualification prepared them for employment was significantly higher for ITE (86%) than for all higher education (69%).

For postgraduates:

• The proportion of graduates who reported that their qualification prepared them for employment was significantly higher for ITE (81%) than for all higher education (75%).

Early career teaching

This section presents data on employment outcomes of recent ITE graduates and the experiences and attitudes of early career teachers about their induction and career intentions.

Data on employment outcomes are from the Australian Graduate Survey (AGS) and the Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS), which is administered to graduates about four months after graduation. Various employment outcomes are presented, including overall and full-time employment rates, and the proportion of ITE graduates working in schools and in the public or private sectors. Results for undergraduates and postgraduates are presented separately.

Continuing on from last year’s report, the Initial Teacher Education: Data Report 2019 will present data on longitudinal employment outcomes, graduate readiness for employment, and employer satisfaction with graduates. These data will allow us to gain a more in-depth understanding of ITE graduate employment from various perspectives. Furthermore, the AITSL Stakeholder Survey, undertaken earlier this year, provides new data surrounding ‘Induction of early career teachers’ and ’Career intentions of early career teachers’.

Key findings

Employment outcomes of recent graduates

• In 2017, recent ITE graduates from undergraduate programs had a 94% overall employment rate and an 83% full-time employment rate. This was significantly higher than the overall (87%) and full-time (72%) employment rates for recent graduates from all undergraduate programs.
• In 2017, recent ITE graduates from postgraduate programs had a 92% overall employment rate and a 76% full-time employment rate. This was similar to the overall employment rate (92%) but significantly lower than the full-time employment rate (85%) for recent graduates from all postgraduate programs.
• Three years after graduation, the overall employment rate for undergraduates from ITE programs was 91%, versus 92% for undergraduates from all higher education programs. The three-year full-time employment rate was 91% for ITE undergraduates, versus 89% for all higher education undergraduates.
• Three years after graduation, the overall employment rate for postgraduates from ITE programs was 90%, versus 94% for postgraduates from all higher education programs. The three-year full-time employment rate was 88% for postgraduates from ITE programs, versus 92% for postgraduates from all higher education programs.
• For undergraduates, the full-time employment rate was significantly higher three years post-graduation (91%) than within one year of graduation (69%).
• For postgraduates, the full-time employment rate was significantly higher three years post-graduation (88%) than within one year of graduation (63%).
• The proportion of recent ITE graduates working full-time in schools was higher for undergraduate programs (57%) than for postgraduate programs (52%).
• The proportion of recent ITE graduates working part-time in schools was lower for undergraduates (18%) than for postgraduates and (20%).
• Of recent ITE graduates from undergraduate programs, 61% of secondary graduates, 60% of primary graduates, and 40% of early childhood graduates were working full-time in schools.
• Of recent ITE graduates from postgraduate programs, 56% of secondary graduates, 49% of primary graduates, and 25% of early childhood graduates were working full-time in schools.
• Of recent ITE graduates (both undergraduate and postgraduate) working part-time in schools, 52% were seeking full-time employment.
• In 2017, 74% of recent ITE undergraduates working in schools were employed in the public sector, while 26% were employed in the private sector.27
• In 2017, 73% of recent ITE postgraduates working in schools were employed in the public sector, while 27% were employed in the private sector.

Employment after graduation

Up to and including 2015, data on employment outcomes of recent ITE graduates are derived from the AGS. From 2016 onwards, these data are derived from the full suite of QILT surveys, which replaced the suite of AGS surveys.28 Two QILT surveys – the Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS) and Employer Satisfaction Survey (ESS) – collect data on employment outcomes of recent graduates.29 The Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal (GOS-L) was introduced in 2016 and collects data on employment outcomes three years after graduation.

Like the AGS, QILT surveys measure labour market experiences and destinations. However, QILT surveys also collect data on perceptions of employment readiness and graduate employer satisfaction.

Overall and full-time employment rates

Figure 62 shows the 2017 overall and full-time employment rates for ITE graduates and graduates from all higher education programs, split into undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications. Ninety-five-percent confidence intervals are provided to indicate the precision of the survey results. Overlap between confidence intervals suggests there may be no statistically significant difference between the results, while a lack of overlap suggests the results are statistically significant.

Employer perceptions of graduate readiness

The Employer Satisfaction Survey (ESS) collects data on employer perceptions of graduate readiness for employment. As part of the ESS, employers of recent graduates are asked to indicate the extent to which the graduate’s recent qualification prepared them for their job. Ninety-five-percent confidence intervals are provided to indicate the precision of the survey results. Overlap between confidence intervals suggests there may be no statistically significant difference between the results, while a lack of overlap suggests the results are statistically significant.

Figure 72 shows overall employer satisfaction with graduates, separated into undergraduates and postgraduates.

For undergraduates:

• 87% (n = 212) of ITE graduate employers were satisfied with the graduate’s performance, compared to 84% (n = 2,085) of all higher education graduate employers. Note that the wide confidence intervals indicate this difference may not be significant.

For postgraduates:

• 86% (n = 110) of ITE graduate employers were satisfied with the graduate’s performance, compared to 82% (n = 1,729) of all higher education graduate employers. Again, the wide confidence intervals indicate this difference may not be significant.

Figure 73 shows employer perceptions of the extent to which the graduate’s qualification prepared them for employment.

For undergraduates:

• 95% (n = 211) of ITE graduate employers reported that the graduate’s qualification prepared them for employment, compared to 93% (n = 2,007) of all higher education graduate employers. Note that the slight overlap between confidence intervals indicates this difference may not be significant.

For postgraduates:

• 91% (n = 106) of ITE graduate employers reported that the graduate’s qualification prepared them for employment, compared to 93% (n = 1,614) of all higher education graduate employers. Again, the overlap between confidence intervals indicates this difference may not be significant.

Induction of early career teachers

Australian and international literature about the benefits of induction for beginning teachers is extensive.32 However, there has been a lack of data in Australia about the extent to which induction is offered to early career teachers – that is, teachers with between one and five years’ teaching experience. Data on the impact of induction on early career teachers as they enter the teacher workforce has also been inadequate. This section presents data on induction from the 2019 AITSL Stakeholder Survey of 2,975 school leaders, experienced teachers, and early career teachers. Please see Appendix 3 for information about the survey and details of the respondent profile.

Career intentions of early career teachers

The 2019 AITSL Stakeholder Survey asked early career teachers about their career intentions.

Figure 78 presents these results along with 95% confidence intervals. Note the wide confidence intervals, which indicate a high degree of variance in the survey estimates.

• 44% (n = 144) of early career teachers said they were not likely to leave classroom teaching in the foreseeable future.
• 26% (n = 85) were unsure.
• 20% (n = 66) said they were likely to leave classroom teaching within 1–5 years.

Individual initial teacher education provider reports

This section includes summary reports on individual ITE providers, presented alphabetically.

Each summary report presents data on the demographic and study characteristics of commencing and completing students, time series data, completion and attrition rates, current ITE student and recent graduate satisfaction rates, and recent graduate employment outcomes. The data from these summary reports are from five data sources:

• Higher Education Student Data Collection
• Course Experience Questionnaire (Quality Indicators of Learning and Teaching)
• Graduate Outcomes Survey (Quality Indicators of Learning and Teaching)
• Graduate Destination Survey
• Student Experience Survey.

An explanation of the data presented from each data source is provided below.

Explanation of data in individual initial teacher education provider reports, by data source

Higher Education Student Data Collection

Data from the Higher Education Student Data Collection (HESDC) are presented on the first and second page of each individual provider report. The HESDC is compiled by the Australian Government Department of Education through the Higher Education Information Management System (HEIMS). Data from the HESDC is collected by HEPs and submitted through the HEIMS. Once the data is submitted, it is verified and signed off. The HESDC data presented in this section is from 2017 and includes data on:

• ITE programs
• commencing ITE student demographic, entry, and study characteristics
• completing ITE student demographic and study characteristics
• time-series commencement and completion data for 2007 to 2017
• undergraduate and postgraduate longitudinal completion and attrition rate averages at each provider, as well as the national average for ITE.36

Data from ITE programs were filtered from other higher education programs by limiting extraction to programs with an ITE identifier: HEIMS data element E312=22. Where the data in this section have fewer than five students in a cell, it is shown as ‘<5’ to avoid any risk of disseminating identifiable data. Some cells have also been secondarily suppressed to prevent calculation of primarily suppressed cells.

The data in this report are derived from verified, signed-off data. Revised data may be submitted by HEPs through the HEIMS at any time; however, no change will be made to the verified, signed-off data. Further, the reporting practices followed in entering data into the HEIMS may vary across HEPs.

Student Experience Survey

Data from the Student Experience Survey (SES) are presented on the third page of each individual provider report. The SES was completed by commencing and later-year students enrolled in undergraduate programs. ITE students were identified using the HEIMS data element E312=22 ‘initial teacher education’. Combined 2015, 2016, and 2017 data from the SES are presented in a column chart showing average scores for each individual ITE provider, as well as the national average, across six domains designed to conceptualise and measure the student higher education experience. These domains are:

• Overall quality of educational experience
• Teaching quality
• Learner engagement
• Learning resources
• Student support
• Skills development

The chart presents the average percentage of respondents who were satisfied in each domain, together with the upper and lower confidence limits. These confidence intervals provide a measure of precision for the results. The precise wording of the items from which these data were derived can be found in Appendix 1.1.

Course Experience Questionnaire

Data from the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) are presented on the third page of each individual provider report. This survey provides information about graduates’ perceptions of the quality of education provided at their institution of study. The CEQ was completed by graduates of Australian HEPs about four months after completion of their courses in conjunction with the Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS), and the data represent combined responses from graduates of undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

Up to and including 2015, ITE respondents were identified in the CEQ by limiting the data to four specific fields of education within the broad field of Teacher Education, namely Teacher Education: Other, Early Childhood, Primary, and Secondary. From 2016 onwards, data from ITE programs were filtered from other higher education programs by limiting extraction to programs with an ITE identifier: HEIMS data element E312=22.

As the CEQ was administered in conjunction with the Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS), changes in sampling methodology between the Graduate Outcomes Survey and the previous Graduate Destination Survey also impact on the CEQ. The following variances are important to note:

• GOS data are sampled and collected by a central agency, while GDS data were sampled and collected by each individual higher education institution.
• GOS data collection was restricted to online methods only, while the GDS incorporated other methods, such as paper distribution and collection of data as part of the graduation ceremony.
• The collection period for the GOS ranged from 4 to 8 weeks, as opposed to 3 to 10 months for the GDS.

The CEQ asks graduates to what extent they agree with a series of statements about their study experiences. Combined 2015, 2016, and 2017 data are presented in a column chart showing the average scores for the individual ITE provider, as well as the national average, across the following three indicators:

• Overall satisfaction
• Good teaching
• Generic skills.

The chart presents the average results, together with the upper and lower confidence limits. These confidence intervals are displayed to provide a measure of precision for the results.

Graduate Destination Survey/Graduate Outcomes Survey

Combined data from the Graduate Destination Survey (GDS)/Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS) are presented on the third page of each individual provider report. The GDS/GOS is administered at the same time as the CEQ and collects information about graduate employment outcomes, continuing study, and work-seeking status. The data represent combined employment outcomes for graduates from both undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

Up to and including 2015, ITE students were identified in the GDS by limiting the data to four specific fields of education within the broad field of ‘Teacher Education’, namely Teacher Education: Other, Early Childhood, Primary, and Secondary. From 2016 onwards, data from ITE programs were filtered from other higher education programs by limiting extraction to programs with an ITE identifier: HEIMS data element E312=22. There are several differences in the sampling methodology between the Graduate Outcomes Survey and the Graduate Destination Survey. The three key variances are as follows.

• GOS data are sampled and collected by a central agency, while GDS data were sampled and collected by each individual higher education institution.
• GOS data collection was restricted to online methods only, while GDS data collection incorporated other methods of data collection, such as paper distribution and collection of data as part of the graduation ceremony.
• The collection period for GOS ranged from 4 to 8 weeks, as opposed to 3 to 10 months for the GDS.

The employment outcomes data show the proportion of ITE respondents who were employed about four months after completing their course, by individual ITE provider. Combined 2015, 2016, and 2017 data are presented in a stacked bar chart, along with the number of responses. The chart shows the proportion of ITE graduates working full-time and part-time and further divides these groups into those working in schools and those not in schools. ITE providers offering early childhood ITE programs may have lower in-school employment rates because graduates may have gained employment in early childhood settings outside of the schooling system.

The precise wording of the items from which these data were derived can be found in Appendix 1.3. Please note that 2015 was the last year the GDS was administered. In 2017 it was incorporated into the GOS.

Five key points should be considered when interpreting the data from the SES, CEQ, and GDS/GOS:

1. Care should be taken when interpreting the results of the SES, CEQ, and GDS/GOS. The results are estimates, based on a survey which was not completed by all students. The accuracy of the figures varies with the number of students who completed the surveys. Where possible, confidence intervals and numbers of responses are displayed in the charts to provide a measure of precision for the estimates. Data items containing fewer than 25 responses have been omitted. The CEQ and SES data presented in this section allow comparison of an individual ITE provider’s average against the national average of all ITE providers. Where there is overlap between the confidence intervals for an ITE provider and for the national average, it cannot be concluded with confidence that there exists a true difference between that institution and the national average.

2. ITE courses could not be identified in the CEQ and GDS using the HEIMS data element E312=22 ‘initial teacher education’ for years up to 2015 because the survey did not collect student and course identifiers. Instead, four teacher education field-of-study codes were used to identify ITE students in these surveys, capturing about 90% of ITE students. From 2016 onwards, however, data from HEIMS element E312=22 were used to identify ITE courses, capturing all ITE respondents.

3. Graduate outcomes and course experience data will, for the most part, have lower response rates in 2016 and 2017 than in 2015 due to sampling variances between the GDS and the GOS. Therefore, care should be taken when interpreting differences in graduate satisfaction and employment outcomes.

4. In the Initial Teacher Education: Data Report 2019, both records of a double degree are counted, whereas for the 2018 report only one was counted. Therefore, the number of records for each of the SES, CEQ, and GOS may differ between the two iterations of the report. This should be considered in any further analysis of Section 6.

5. Lower scores in the SES, CEQ, and GDS/GOS may be correlated with certain demographic and study characteristics. For example, an external (i.e. online) mode of attendance is associated with a lower ‘learner engagement’ score in the SES. This should be considered in any further analysis of Section 6.

List of initial teacher education providers

Individual provider reports

Alphacrucis (PDF, 132 KB)

Australian Catholic University (PDF, 161)

Australian College of Physical Education (PDF, 156 KB)

Avondale College (PDF, 156 KB)

Central Queensland University (PDF, 164 KB)

Charles Darwin University (PDF, 161 KB)

Charles Sturt University (PDF, 161 KB)

Christian Heritage College (PDF, 166 KB)

Curtin University of Technology (PDF, 166 KB)

Deakin University (PDF, 161 KB)

Eastern College Australia (PDF, 137 KB)

Edith Cowan University (PDF, 166 KB)

Excelsia College (PDF, 149 KB)

Federation University Australia (PDF, 161 KB)

Flinders University (PDF, 161 KB)

Griffith University (PDF, 161 KB)

Holmesglen TAFE (PDF, 157 KB)

James Cook University (PDF, 156 KB)

La Trobe University (PDF, 161 KB)

Macquarie University (PDF, 161 KB)

Monash University (PDF, 161 KB)

Morling College (PDF, 132 KB)

Murdoch University (PDF, 161 KB)

Queensland University of Technology (PDF, 156 KB)

RMIT University (PDF, 156 KB)

Southern Cross University (PDF, 161 KB)

Swinburne University of Technology (PDF, 151 KB)

Tabor Adelaide (PDF, 150 KB)

The University of Adelaide (PDF, 161 KB)

The University of Melbourne (PDF, 154 KB)

The University of New England (PDF, 161 KB)

The University of New South Wales (PDF, 161 KB)

The University of Newcastle (PDF, 161 KB)

The University of Notre Dame Australia (PDF, 161 KB)

The University of Queensland (PDF, 161 KB)

The University of Sydney (PDF, 161 KB)

The University of Western Australia (PDF, 154 KB)

University of Canberra (PDF, 164 KB)

University of South Australia (PDF, 164 KB)

University of Southern Queensland (PDF, 161 KB)

University of Tasmania (PDF, 166 KB)

University of Technology, Sydney (PDF, 161 KB)

University of the Sunshine Coast (PDF, 161 KB)

University of Wollongong (PDF, 161 KB)

Victoria University (PDF, 161 KB)

Western Sydney University (PDF, 154 KB)

Appendix 1

Glossary

Appendix 2

Acronyms

Appendix 3

The Initial Teacher Education: Data Report 2018 utilises data from eight separate data collections:

• Higher Education Student Data Collection
• University Applications and Offers Data Collection
• Student Experience Survey
• Australian Graduate Survey/Graduate Outcomes Survey
• Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal
• Employer Satisfaction Survey
• AITSL Stakeholder Survey
• AITSL Accredited Programs List.

Higher Education Student Data Collection

The Higher Education Student Data Collection (HESDC) is a census recording administrative and statistical information about higher education students in Australia. The HESDC includes data on commencing, enrolled, and completing higher education students. Approved higher education providers (HEPs) submit data about their students to the Australian Government Department of Education and Training (DET) through the Higher Education Information Management System (HEIMS).

In this report, results from the HESDC mostly refer to students and programs from initial teacher education (ITE); however, some data across all higher education programs are provided for context. ITE students and programs are categorised in the HESDC as HEIMS data element E312=22 ‘initial teacher education’. These courses cover the following detailed field-of-education categories:

• Teacher Education (includes education programs not specifically categorised. These are usually education programs where students can be qualified in one or more different specialisations)
• Teacher Education: Early Childhood
• Teacher Education: Primary
• Teacher Education: Secondary
• Teacher Education: Vocational Education and Training (VET)
• Teacher Education: Higher Education
• Teacher Education: Special Education
• English as a Second Language Teaching
• Teacher Education not elsewhere classified (nec).

Data from the HEDSC are publicly available through the uCube or as customised data upon request. HESDC data from this report were derived from customised, aggregated tables generated by DET.

Due to timing associated with data processing and public release, the latest data from the HESDC that were available for this report are from the end of 2017.

Data collected, released, and published by DET are subject to the provisions of the Higher Education Support Act 2003. The following statement is displayed on the DET website:38

Under the Higher Education Support Act 2003, sections 179-5, 10, 15, 20(c) and the Privacy Act 1988, section 14 (IPP11), it is an offence to release any information that is likely to enable identification of any particular individual.

To avoid any risk of disseminating identifiable data, a disclosure control technique called data suppression has been utilised. Cells that have values of less than five have been primarily suppressed and annotated as ‘< 5’. To prevent calculation of the values of primarily suppressed cells, other cells may also need to be suppressed. This is known as consequential or secondary suppression. These cells are annotated as ‘np’ (not published). In the data cube (uCube), a disclosure control technique called input perturbation has been applied to the data, whereby small random adjustments are made to cell counts. This is applicable to all the DET higher education data that is either published on the DET website or provided to clients as custom tabular data.

Student Experience Survey

The Student Experience Survey (SES) was developed in order to provide a national framework for collecting data about the experiences of higher education students. The SES comprises 46 individual survey items that measure the student experience across five domains: skills development, engagement, quality of teaching, student support, and learning resources. Please refer to Appendix 4 for a detailed list of these survey items.

The SES is administered to commencing and later-year onshore undergraduate students in Australia. Responses from ITE students were identified by limiting the data to the linked HEIMS data element E312=22 ‘initial teacher education’. The SES is part of the suite of Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) surveys, which also includes the Graduate Outcomes Survey, Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal, and Employer Satisfaction Survey.

Data quality

The national response rate for the SES was 36.2% in 2017. While the overall response rate provides a measure of the administrative effectiveness of the survey, the SES targets stratum-level response rates at the institution and field-of-education levels. SES response rates are available in the 2017 SES National Report.39

Tables 10 and 11 provide the respondent characteristics for the SES survey data used in this report. As in the body of this report, the respondent profiles and in-scope populations for undergraduate ITE students and students from all higher education programs are presented separately.

The tables provide an indication of how representative the SES respondents are of the in-scope populations, and therefore of survey error. Total survey error is minimised when the respondent profile matches that of the in-scope population. For ITE and all higher education respondents, females are slightly overrepresented and males are slightly underrepresented.

Applications and Offers Data Collection

The Applications and Offers Data Collection records all applications by domestic applicants for Commonwealth-supported places in higher education undergraduate award courses through Australian Tertiary Admissions Centres (TACs). Records of offers made by universities and acceptances of those offers by students are also included in the Collection. Data are collected through the HEIMS. This report uses data on applications and offers for ITE students, which were identified using the HEIMS data element E312=22 ‘initial teacher education’.

As with the HESDC, the applications and offers data are collected, released, and published by DET and are subject to the provisions of the Higher Education Support Act 2003. Data from the Applications and Offers Data Collection are publicly available through uCube or as customised data upon request. The data from this report were derived from customised, aggregated tables generated by DET.

Data quality

The Applications and Offers Data Collection records all domestic applications to undergraduate award courses made through Tertiary Admissions Centres (TAC) and the offers associated with those applications. Sufficient data is collected from HEPs to obtain baseline figures of the number of direct applications made each year.

There are some differences among TACs in the policies and operational procedures surrounding data collection. The Applications and Offers Collection aims to minimise inconsistencies by collating a core set of common elements with agreed definitions and by declaring provision of certain data elements discretionary in the preliminary submissions. The Collection will be made as nationally consistent as possible through the use of common data element definitions adapted from those used by HESDC and the ABS Australian Standard Classifications. Comparability of the data will be maximised by aligning reference dates to comparable stages in TAC processing cycles.

As with the HESDC, HEIMS provides the mechanism for provision of data by TACs and HEPs as well as the data warehouse.

Australian Graduate Survey / Graduate Outcomes Survey

The Australian Graduate Survey (AGS) comprises three surveys used in this report: the Graduate Destination Survey (GDS), the Postgraduate Destination Survey (PDS), and the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ). These surveys are administered to graduates approximately four months after graduation. The GDS and PDS collect information about graduate employment outcomes, continuing study, and work-seeking status. The GDS collects data from undergraduates and the PDS from postgraduates. The CEQ asks graduates from postgraduate and undergraduate programs about the extent to which they agree with a series of statements about their study experiences. The CEQ has three focus areas: good teaching, generic skills, and overall satisfaction. Please refer to Appendix 4 for a detailed list of survey items from the CEQ.

Responses from initial teacher education (ITE) graduates were identified by limiting the data to four specific fields of education within the broad fields of Teacher Education: Early Childhood, Primary, Secondary, and Teacher Education: Other. Responses from postgraduates were further filtered to show only responses from coursework graduates. Unlike the HEDSC, the GDS, PDS, and CEQ could not identify ITE courses using the HEIMS data element E312=22 ‘initial teacher education.’ As a result, it is possible that some ITE graduate respondents were omitted from the results.

From 2016 onwards, the GDS, PDS, and CEQ were transitioned into the Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS), which is part of the suite of QILT surveys. While the purpose of the GOS is similar to that of the AGS, several differences in methodology are worth noting:

• GOS data are sampled and collected by a central agency, while the GDS data were sampled and collected by each individual higher education institution.
• GOS data collection was restricted to online methods only, while GDS data collection incorporated other methods of data collection, such as paper distribution and collection of data as part of the graduation ceremony.
• The collection period for GOS ranged from 4 to 8 weeks, as opposed to 3 to 10 months for the GDS.

Data quality

The AGS surveys were censuses, not sample surveys – that is, all new graduates receive a survey form or an invitation to complete one online or via a telephone interview. A minimum response rate of 50% is required for the publication of data (though institutions may make internal use of data pertaining to their graduates even with lower response rates). Each HEP conducts its own data collection. The GOS uses a centralised approach, sampling based on data extracted from the Higher Education Information Management System. It therefore encompasses all graduates who completed the requirements for an undergraduate or postgraduate award at an Australian HEP during 2015.

The GOS departs from the GDS in that it conforms to the conceptual framework of the standard labour force statistics model used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The national response rate for the 2017 GOS was 45%.40 The GOS places greater emphasis on representativeness of the sample, rather than higher response rates.

Tables 12, 13, 14, and 15 provide the respondent characteristics for the AGS/GOS survey data used in this report. As in the body of this report, the respondent profiles and in-scope populations for undergraduates and postgraduates are presented separately, as are ITE students and all higher education students. The tables provide an indication of how representative the respondent profiles are of the in-scope populations, and therefore of survey error. Total survey error is minimised when the respondent profile matches that of the in-scope population.

Please note that the in-scope population for GDS data were approximated from past university completions data, as the ‘in-scope population’ file was not available.

Graduate Outcomes Survey - Longitudinal

The Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal (GOS-L) is a continuation of the Graduate Outcomes Survey. The GOS-L is a cohort analysis measuring the medium-term employment outcomes of graduates approximately three years after graduation. Participation in the 2017 GOS-L was open to any higher education institution that participated in the 2014 AGS.

The GOS-L comprises 46 individual survey items that measure short- and medium-term outcomes similar to those collected through the GOS. Please refer to Appendix 4 for a detailed list of survey items from the GOS-L. Responses from ITE students were identified by limiting the data to the linked HEIMS data element E312=22 ‘initial teacher education’.

Data quality

The national response rate for the GOS-L was 42.2% in 2017.41 While the overall response rate provides a measure of administrative effectiveness of the survey, the GOS-L in-scope population consisted of all graduates who completed a course of study at an Australian higher education institution in 2013, completed the 2014 AGS, and agreed to recontact.

Tables 16 and 17 below provide the respondent characteristics for the GOS-L survey data used in this report. As in the body of this report, the tables present ITE and all higher education data separately.

The tables provide an indication of how representative the respondent profiles are of the in-scope populations and therefore give a good indication of the survey error. Total survey error is minimised when the respondent profile matches that of the in-scope population. For ITE respondents, older students are slightly overrepresented and younger students are underrepresented. For all higher education respondents, females are slightly overrepresented and males underrepresented.

Employer Satisfaction Survey

The Employer Satisfaction Survey (ESS) was developed in order to provide a measure of employer perceptions of the outcomes of graduates entering the workplace.

The ESS comprises individual survey items that measure the attributes of recent graduates from Australian higher education institutions on a range of attributes, including foundation, adaptive, collaborative, technical, and employability skills. Please refer to Appendix 4 for a detailed list of survey items from the ESS. The ESS is administered to employers (or direct supervisors) of recent graduates from HEPs, including universities and non-university higher education institutions.

Data quality

The national response rate for the ESS was 44.5%. While the overall response rate provides a measure of administrative effectiveness of the survey, the ESS targets stratum-level response rates at the level of foundational skills, adaptive skills, collaborative skills, technical skills, and employability skills. The ESS response rates are available in the 2016 Employer Satisfaction Survey Methodology Report.42

AITSL Stakeholder Survey

The AITSL Stakeholder survey measures awareness, engagement, effectiveness, and perceptions of AITSL and its policies, tools, and resources among its stakeholders, including ITE students, providers, teachers, school leaders, and other education organisations.

Data quality

An opportunity (non-probability) sampling methodology was employed whereby the survey was distributed via direct invitations, AITSL Mail, social media, requests for AITSL stakeholders to share to their networks, and the AITSL website. This is a non-probability method and is prone to survey bias because the survey was marketed to AITSL stakeholders.

The 2019 Stakeholder Engagement Survey was completed by 3,856 stakeholders. The survey data used in this report was limited to respondents working in schools (n = 3,133). The respondent profile presented in Table 18 below is limited to school-based respondents.

AITSL Accredited Programs List

The AITSL Accredited Programs List contains information provided by teacher regulatory authorities about the name, number, location, and characteristics of accredited ITE programs and providers in their jurisdiction.

Data quality

This database contains data on all accredited programs, including those for which accreditation is pending. Data from the Accredited Programs List are not directly comparable to data coded to the HESDC due to different coding processes and data definitions. The AITSL Accredited Programs List can be considered the most accurate national database on the number and characteristics of ITE programs.

Appendix 4

Student Experience Survey

Questions to measure the overall quality of educational experience

The percentage of students who are satisfied with the overall quality of their educational experience is calculated based on an individual question, which also forms part of the 'teaching quality’ indicator.

Questions to measure teaching quality

The percentage of students who are satisfied with the quality of teaching they have experienced is calculated based on the average of a student's responses to the following 11 questions:

Thinking about your course:

1. Overall, how would you rate the quality of your entire educational experience this year?

   Thinking of this year, overall at <institution>:

2. How would you rate the quality of the teaching you have experienced?

   During [year], to what extent have the lecturers, tutors and demonstrators:

3. engaged you actively in learning?
4. demonstrated concern for student learning?
5. provided clear explanations on coursework and assessment?
6. stimulated you intellectually?
7. commented on your work in ways that help you learn?
8. seemed helpful and approachable?
9. set assessment tasks that challenge you to learn?

   In [year], to what extent has your course been delivered in a way that is:

10. well structured and focused?
11. relevant to your education as a whole?

Questions to measure learner engagement

The percentage of students who are satisfied with their engagement with learning at their institution is calculated based on the average of a student's responses to the following seven questions:

During [year], to what extent have you:

1. felt prepared for your study?
2. had a sense of belonging to your institution?

   In [year], how frequently have you:

3. participated in discussions online or face-to-face?
4. worked with other students as part of your study?
5. interacted with students outside study requirements?
6. interacted with students who are very different from you?

   During [year], to what extent have you:

7. been given opportunities to interact with local students (where applicable for international students)?

Questions to measure learning resources

The percentage of students who are satisfied with the learning resources provided by their institution is calculated based on the average of a student's responses to the following seven questions:

Thinking of this year, overall how would you rate the following learning resources provided by your course?

1. Teaching spaces (e.g. lecture theatres, tutorial rooms, laboratories)
2. Student spaces and common areas
3. Online learning materials
4. Computing/IT resources
5. Assigned books, notes and resources
6. Laboratory or studio equipment
7. Library resources and facilities

Questions to measure student support

The percentage of students who are satisfied with the support they received at their institution is calculated based on the average of a student's responses to the following 13 questions:

During [year], to what extent have you:

1. received support from your institution to settle into study?
2. experienced efficient enrolment and admissions processes?
3. felt induction/orientation activities were relevant and helpful?

   During [year], to what extent have you found administrative staff or systems (e.g. online administrative services, frontline staff, enrolment systems) to be:

4. available?
5. helpful?

   During [year], to what extent have you found careers advisors to be:

6. available?
7. helpful?

   During [year], to what extent have you found academic or learning advisors to be:

8. available?
9. helpful?

   During [year], to what extent have you found support services such as counsellor, financial/legal advisors and health services to be:

10. available?
11. helpful?

    During [year], to what extent have you:

12. been offered support relevant to your circumstances?
13. received appropriate English language skill support?

Questions to measure skills development

The percentage of students who are satisfied with the skills development they experienced through their studies is calculated based on the average of a student's responses to the following eight questions:

To what extent has your course developed your:

1. critical thinking skills?
2. ability to solve complex problems?
3. ability to work with others?
4. confidence to learn independently?
5. written communication skills?
6. spoken communication skills?
7. knowledge of field(s) you are studying?
8. development of work-related knowledge and skills?

Graduate Destinations Survey/Graduate Outcomes Survey

Course Experience Questionnaire

Questions to measure overall satisfaction

The percentage of graduates who expressed overall satisfaction with their course is calculated based on an individual question in the CEQ.

Questions to measure good teaching

The percentage of graduates who agreed they had experienced good teaching practices during their study is calculated based on the average of a graduate's responses to the following six statements:

1. The staff put a lot of time into commenting on my work.
2. The teaching staff normally gave me helpful feedback on how I was going.
3. The teaching staff of this course motivated me to do my best work.
4. My lecturers were extremely good at explaining things.
5. The teaching staff worked hard to make their studies interesting.
6. The staff made a real effort to understand difficulties I might be having with my work.

Questions to measure generic skills

The percentage of graduates who agreed that their studies had improved their generic skills is calculated based on the average of a graduate's responses to the following six statements:

1. The course helped me develop my ability as a team member.
2. The course sharpened my analytic skills.
3. The course developed my problem-solving skills.
4. The course improved my skills in written communications.
5. As a result of my course, I feel confident about tackling unfamiliar problems.
6. My course helped me to develop the ability to plan my own work.

Graduate Destination Survey

The GDS asks graduates about their employment and further study activities at a particular point in time approximately four months after completing their courses. They are asked about their employment status, the type of work gained and any further study undertaken. The main employment item reads:

What was your position regarding paid work (including permanent, contract, casual and self-employment, on <reference date>?

Please select the response which best describes your position. Were you:

1. In full-time work, or had accepted an offer of full-time work (that is working 35 hours a week or more
2. In part-time work, or had accepted an offer of part-time work (that is working fewer than 35 hours a week), or
3. Not working
4. No answer

What was your employer’s main business?
For example: medical hospital, primary education, accounting

5. Text box
6. No answer

Graduate Outcomes Survey / Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal

The GOS asks graduates about their employment and further study activities at a particular point in time approximately four months after completing their courses. They are asked about their employment status, the type of work gained and any further study undertaken. The main employment item reads:

Thinking about last week, the week starting <daystart>, and ending last <dayend>

Last week, did you do any work at all in a job, business or farm?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Permanently unable to work
4. Permanently not intending to work (only display if aged 65+)

How many hours do you usually work each week in your main job?

5. Enter hours

What is your occupation in your <main job/job/business>?

6. Enter occupation

Graduate attributes

Within the GOS a series of questions measuring the extent employment preparedness were targeted towards recently employed graduates.  Graduates were asked to indicate the extent to which they agreed with a series of statements themed under the following attributes; Foundation skills, adaptive skills and attributes and teamwork and interpersonal skills.

For each of the following skills or attributes, to what extent do you agree or disagree that your <Finalcourse> from <Institution> prepared you for this job? If the skill is not required in your role, you can answer ‘Not applicable’.

Foundation skills

• foundation1: Oral communication skills
• foundation2: Written communication skills
• foundation3: Numeracy skills
• foundation4: Ability to develop relevant knowledge
• foundation5: Ability to develop relevant skills
• foundation6: Ability to solve problems
• foundation7: Ability to integrate knowledge
• foundation8: Ability to think independently about problems

Adaptive skills and attributes

• adaptive1: Broad general knowledge
• adaptive2: Ability to develop innovative ideas
• adaptive3: Ability to identify new opportunities
• adaptive4: Ability to adapt knowledge in different contexts
• adaptive5: Ability to apply skills in different contexts

Teamwork and interpersonal skills

• collab1: Working well in a team
• collab2: Getting on well with others in the workplace
• collab3: Working collaboratively with colleagues to complete tasks
• collab4: Understanding of different points of view
• collab5: Ability to interact with co-workers from different or multicultural backgrounds

Response Frame

a. Strongly disagree b. Disagree
c. Neither disagree nor agree
d. Agree
e. Strongly agree
f. Not applicable

Employer Satisfaction Survey

The Employer Satisfaction Survey (ESS) asks employers of recent graduates about their overall satisfaction with the graduate and whether they feel the qualification prepared the graduate for employment. Employers are asked to indicate the extent to which they agree with a series of statements relating to the following: foundation skills, adaptive skills and attributes, teamwork skills, technical skills, and employability skills.

Overall, how well did <Recentemployee>’s <qualfinal> prepare <him/her> for their job?

1. Not at all prepared
2. Not well prepared
3. Well prepared
4. Very well prepared
5. Don’t know / Unsure

Foundation skills

1. Oral communication skills
2. Written communication skills
3. Numeracy skills
4. Ability to develop relevant knowledge
5. Ability to develop relevant skills
6. Ability to solve problems
7. Ability to integrate knowledge
8. Ability to think independently about problems

Adaptive skills and attributes

9. Broad background knowledge
10. Ability to develop innovative ideas
11. Ability to identify new opportunities
12. Ability to adapt knowledge to different contexts
13. Ability to apply skills in different contexts
14. Capacity to work independently

Teamwork and interpersonal skills

15. Working well in a team
16. Getting on well with others in the workplace
17. Working collaboratively with colleagues to complete tasks
18. Understanding different points of view
19. Ability to interact with co-workers from different or multi-cultural backgrounds

Technical and professional skills

20. Applying professional knowledge to job tasks
21. Using technology effectively
22. Applying technical skills in the workplace
23. Maintaining professional standards
24. Observing ethical standards
25. Using research skills to gather evidence

Employability and enterprise skills

26. Ability to work under pressure
27. Capacity to be flexible in the workplace
28. Ability to meet deadlines
29. Understanding the nature of your business or organisation
30. Demonstrating leadership skills
31. Demonstrating management skills
32. Taking responsibility for personal professional development
33. Demonstrating initiative in the workplace

Appendix 5

 

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Footnotes

• 1: The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Education Council provides the mechanism through which national policy on school education can be coordinated between Commonwealth, state, and territory governments. More information about the COAG Education Council can be found at http://www.educationcouncil.edu.au/.
• 2: For more information about the uCube, please visit http://highereducationstatistics.education.gov.au/.
• 3: Data in 2015 does not include WA figures due to the ‘half-year’ year 12 cohort effect. The ‘half-year’ cohort arose due to the Western Australian State Government changing the starting age for school children in 2003. Before 2003, children began Year 1 at the beginning of the calendar year when they turned six. From 2003 onwards, children began year 1 if they turned six between 1 July of the previous year and 30 June of the year they started school. This policy change was introducedwithout staggered implementation across years, which meant that in 2003 only children bornbetween 1 January 1997 and 30 June 1997 started school. This ‘half-year’ cohort reached year 12in 2014, affecting the 2015 tertiary application data.
• 4: For further information on diversity in the teaching profession, see AITSL’s spotlight series – (https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/research-evidence/spotlight/spotlight-diversity-in-school-leadership.pdf)
• 5: Basis-of-admission data for new students are one of multiple data types on which providers are required to report. Information on full reporting requirements for 2017 is available from: Department of Education and Training (2016). Higher education student data collection – 2017 reporting requirements. Canberra: Australian Government. Retrieved from https://heimshelp.education.gov.au/2017_data_requirements/2017higheredstudent/he-student-2017
• 6: Shergold, P. (2016). Improving transparency of higher education admissions processes. Canberra: Department of Education and Training, Australian Government. Retrieved from https://docs.education.gov.au/node/42146
• 7: For further information on this trend, see AITSL’s spotlight series – (https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/research-evidence/spotlight/spotlight_ite_online__.pdf?sfvrsn=22a8f73c_6)
• 8: Australian Institute for Teacher and School Leadership (2011). Accreditation of initial teacher education programs in Australia. Melbourne: AITSL. Retrieved from https://www.aitsl.edu.au/deliver-ite-programs/understand-ite-program-accreditation
• 9: Note that initial teacher education programs accredited under previous state and territory accreditation systems may not align with the current qualification configurations outlined under the national accreditation process.
• 10: The data reported in this report may not match the AITSL Accredited Programs List found on AITSL’s website as this program list has been cross referenced with and verified by teacher regulatory authorities. For more information about the AITSL Accredited Programs List, please see Appendix 3.
• 11: These programs are accredited under a mix of accreditation mechanisms, including state regulations, the 2011 Standards and Procedures, and the 2015 Standards and Procedures. Accurate as at 19 Sep 2019
• 12: ‘Four-year programs’ include 10 four-and-a-quarter-year programs and 5 four-and-a-half-year programs. ‘Two-year programs’ include 2 one-and-a-half-year programs, 1 two-and-a-half-year program, and 1 two-and-three-quarter-year program
• 13: This is the total number of students enrolled in an ITE program in Australia, regardless of year of commencement.
• 14: New adjusted retention rate for year(x) = of all the students who commenced and did not complete a course (HEIMS code E312=22) in year(x), the proportion that continued at the same or different institution in year(x+1) in the same course category (HEIMS E312=22). Further details on the calculations and caveats involved in producing retention rates are available at: Department of Education and Training (2018). 2017 Appendix 15 – Attrition, success and retention. Retrieved from https://docs.education.gov.au/documents/2017-section-15-attrition-success-and-retention
• 15: These program types were selected because they represent a broad cross-section of higher education program types.
• 16: Please note that the ITE first-to-second-year retention rates in this section are similar but not identicalto the ITE retention rates presented above in Figure 22. To avoid double counting, students enrolledin multiple fields of education were removed from the analysis in Figure 22. This approach was notused for analysis of ITE retention rates by various student demographic and study characteristics.
• 17: Department of Education and Training (2017). Attrition, success and retention. Canberra: Australian Government. Retrieved from https://docs.education.gov.au/documents/2017-section-15-attrition-success-and-retention
• 18: Six- and ten-year analyses were conducted on the 2005 commencing initial teacher education cohort. After six years, 65% (n = 12,178) had completed an initial teacher education program. After 10 years, this figure had increased only marginally to 66.5% (n = 12,464).
• 19: The other programs selected for analysis are those listed in Figures 44 and 45.
• 20: This may be partially explained by one-year programs being progressively phased out.
• 21: Please note that the ITE completion rates in this section are similar but not identical to the ITE completion rates presented in Figures 45, 46, and 47. To avoid double counting, students enrolled in multiple fields of education were removed from the analysis in Figures 45, 46, and 47. This approach was not used for analysis of ITE completion rates by various student demographic and study characteristics.
• 22: Part-time student completion rates have been calculated over 9 years, as six years is not a sufficient timeframe within which to compare their completion rates with those of full-time students.
• 23: Number of responses per domain are not shown because each domain comprises multiple questionnaire items.
• 24: Number of responses per focus area are not shown because each focus area comprises multiple questionnaire items.
• 25: Number of responses per focus area are not shown because each focus area comprises multiple questionnaire items.
• 26: Number of responses per focus area are not shown because each focus area comprises multiple questionnaire items.
• 27: Self-reported by respondents to a general public/private sector question
• 28: There are several differences in methodology between the GOS and AGS, and therefore comparisons between 2015 and all succeeding years should be undertaken with caution. Smaller response rates may also impact the comparability of data. For more information about the Australian Graduate Survey and Graduate Outcomes Survey, please refer to Appendix 3.
• 29: ‘Recent’ graduates refers to those who graduated within 12 months of responding to the GOS. ‘Recent’ is used as a differentiator from the longitudinal employment outcomes (three years after graduation) presented in this report.
• 30: The small number of early childhood postgraduate respondents and associated wide confidence intervals (95% CI: [4.1, 46.7]) should be considered in any further analysis.
• 31: The small number of part-time early childhood postgraduate respondents seeking full-time employment and associated wide confidence intervals (95% CI [15.4, 86.6]) should be considered in any further analysis.
• 32: See, for example, Kearney, S. (2014). Understanding beginning teacher induction: A contextualised examination of best practice (vol. 1). London: Cogent Education.
• 33: In the AITSL Stakeholder Survey, ‘school leaders’ includes school principals, deputy/assistant principals, and other school leaders; ‘early career teachers’ includes teachers with up to five years’ teaching experience.
• 34: The percentages and means were calculated from a three-point Likert scale where ‘to a large extent’ = 3, ‘to some extent’ = 2, and ‘not at all’ = 1. The means and standard deviations for each item and respondent were: early career teachers – orientation (x ̅=2.58, SD=0.6), professional identity (x ̅=2.07, SD=0.7), professional practices (x ̅=1.97, SD=0.7), teacher wellbeing (x ̅=1.72, SD = 0.7); school leaders – orientation (x ̅=2.79, SD = 0.4), professional identity (x ̅=2.42, SD = 0.6), professional practices (x ̅=2.36, SD = 0.6), teacher wellbeing (x ̅=2.22, SD = 0.6); teacher mentors – orientation (x ̅=2.33, SD=0.7), professional identity (x ̅=2.08, SD=0.7), professional practices (x ̅=2.00, SD=0.7), teacher wellbeing (x ̅=1.83, SD = 0.7).
• 35: The percentages and means were calculated from a 10-point Likert scale, where ‘agree’ = 6–10, ‘neither agree nor disagree’ = 5, and ‘disagree’ = 0–4. The means and standard deviations for each item and respondent were: made you feel part of the profession (x ̅=6.15, SD=2.4), improved knowledge and teaching practice (x ̅=5.80, SD=2.5), supported your transition to full registration (x ̅=5.56, SD=2.5), supported your personal wellbeing (x ̅=4.60, SD = 2.3).
• 36: Averages were calculated for the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 commencing ITE cohorts at each provider, six years after their commencement (i.e. up to the end of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 respectively).
• 37: Six- and ten-year analyses were conducted on the 2005 commencing initial teacher education cohort. After six years, 65% (n = 12,178) had completed an initial teacher education program. After 10 years, this figure had increased only marginally to 66.5% (n = 12,464).
• 38: Department of Education and Training (n.d.). Data requests, data protocols, and data privacy and visual analytics guide. Canberra: Australian Government. Retrieved from www.education.gov.au/data-requests-data-protocols-and-data-privacy
• 39: Social Research Centre (2017). Student Experience Survey national report. Canberra: Department of Education and Training. Retrieved from https://www.qilt.edu.au/docs/default-source/ues-national-report/2017-student-experience-survey-national-report/2017-ses-national-reportb27e8791b1e86477b58fff00006709da.pdf?sfvrsn = 1e96e33c_2
• 40: Bricknall, R., Iarossi, D., &amp; Grisdale, J. (2018). 2017 Graduate Outcomes Survey methodological report. Melbourne: Social Research Centre. Retrieved from https://www.qilt.edu.au/docs/default-source/gos-reports/2017/det-qilt-gos-2017-methodological-report-181130.pdf?sfvrsn = c37be33c_6
• 41: Social Research Centre (2017). 2017 Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal (GOS-L): Medium-term graduate outcomes. Melbourne: Social Research Centre. Retrieved from https://www.qilt.edu.au/docs/default-source/gos-reports/2017-gos-l/2017-gos-l-national-reportbb518791b1e86477b58fff00006709da.pdf?sfvrsn = 2bb9e33c_2
• 42: Social Research Centre (2017). 2016 Employer Satisfaction Survey national report. Melbourne: Social Research Centre. Retrieved from https://www.qilt.edu.au/docs/default-source/gos-reports/2017/ess-2016-national-report-final.pdf?sfvrsn = f0e0e33c_6